Begin Again
by Nekoastral
Summary: What if it wasn't Belle that broke the spell? What if it was a different girl who was treated as an outcast since her childhood. Cadence or Cyan to her circus crew arrives to the little town of Villeneuve for a rest and to put on a show. When two of the members gets lost and is imprisoned by the Beast, Cadence takes their place. Will she break the spell?
1. Once Upon a time

_Once upon a time, in Paris, France, there was a little girl name Cadence. She was born to an aristocratic family that was loyal to the King. Her father, Richard Antebellum, was a close friend to the King and he adored his little daughter. She was given anything her heart desired though she hardly asked for anything. And there was a reason for that and it was close to her: her mother Angelica. While her father was kind, her mother was the opposite. Angelica was a shrewd and selfish woman who wanted things her way. She wanted to spend her husbands wealth on things for her and ran the servants ragged with her requests and instructions on how to clean their estate. Cadence was mostly treated like a doll while her mother boosted on her daughter's accomplishments. It was only an act if someone told her their child could do something Cadence could not do. Because when their backs turn, Angelica would harshly criticize Cadence for her failure._

 _Cadence could only find comfort in her servants, the books her father stored in their personal library, and her father. Unfortunately, that security did not last. When Cadence was seven years old, her father died from illness. In his will, he left everything to his wife until Cadence became of age to marry. If she refused to marry, the money will remain with Angelica unless Cadence took over the estate. Anger and greed took over the devilish woman when she heard that in her husbands will. Then one day, she came up with a plan. An desperate and wicked plan._

 _Angelica told her daughter to pack up a change of clothes, her favorite things, and to come down to carriage. She told her they were going to the park to feed the ducks like Richard used to do and they were going to be there for a night. Cadence packed her night gown, her favorite books, her favorite doll, and her favorite dark blue dress. She joined her mother in the carriage and watched as they went pass the park. Before she can protest, the carriage halted in front of a traveling circus that settled in the back fields of Paris. The ring leader was the owner of the circus and he came up to the ladies. He wore a dazzling purple suit and a white puffy shirt under the coat. He wore a medium sized black hat with a red velvet colored clothe wrapped around the middle. Angelica gave him two large pieces of paper and in return, he gave her a small bag of gold pieces. Cadence saw it was her birth certificate and the other was a document saying Cadence now belongs to the ring leader._

 _When Cadence tried to reach for her mothers arm, Angelica smacked her in the face and Cadence fell to the ring leaders' feet. "Take this beastly thing away from me." Angelica told him. "I have no use for her." Cadence could only watch in shock and grief as her mother got into the carriage and rode away from her. She sold her own daughter and abandoned her._

" _Do not worry, my child." The ring leader told her. "You are safe here." He helped her on her feet and got her suitcase. He took her hand and walked with her toward the circus troop._

 _It was the first time she ever felt like she was home. Cadence quickly learned that circus life was better than living with her ill-mannered mother. The funny part about the deal was the ring leader earned a daughter and Cadence's mother earned a bag of fools' gold._

 _And since she joined the circus, Cadence went by her stage name given by the troop: Cyan._

* * *

This is will be a mix of the animated and the live action movies!

Disney owns Beauty and the Beast.

I only own Cadence, her parents, and the circus!

PLEASE NO MEAN COMMENTS OR FLAMES!


	2. On the road

Cyan popped her arm sitting in front of the bumpy wagon that held some of the performers of the circus. It wasn't very comfortable sitting in the third wagon in the line. The wagon she rode on was a rickety, dark brown old wagon and it wasn't the most relaxing mode of transportation. The seats were worn out pillows with straw stuffed inside the case. They used to use their own sleeping pillows to make the seats tolerable to sit on until someone farted on one of the girls' pillows and the men never heard the end of it until the girls got new pillows. Cyan thanked the Lord that it wasn't her pillow that met that unfortunate accident. However, the girls never heard the end of it from Satin Sally, their dancing leader and resident over-dramatic queen of the circus. It was hard to understand her heavy western Spanish accent, but her pistols did most of the talking. It wasn't a pretty sight seeing the guys trying to run from her while she tried to get a good shot at their arses.

The main reason Cyan was stuck on this wagon was simple. She lost in a card game on who would ride beside their oldest member of the troop: Grandpa Apple Chatter, or just Grandpa Apple for short. The man was a chatter bug because he talked about everything he could think of and never shut up. If you think he would be quiet when he slept, you are wrong. His snoring is almost as bad as his chattering. _I'm starting to think Jacque cheated on the card game._ Cyan thought to herself as Grandpa talked about how nice their performance was in Germany.

"I have to say we put on a good show. But I think the animal act could have been better. Did you see the little trick the tamer did with the tigers?! If they dug their claws into the elephants, those giants could have rampaged into us or even the crowd! I maybe old, but I am still too young to die by elephant!" Grandpa rambled at Cyan's ear.

"But our tigers have known the elephants since they were little, Grandpa Apple." Cyan insisted, looking off to the side when the knife throwers rode past them on the horses with the female acrobats. The knife throwers were mostly the men with accurate aim and there was one woman knife thrower in the group but she mostly helped juggle the knives into the air. The acrobats liked to feel the wind so they rode with the troop's fastest horses. If Cyan had the chance, she would hitch a ride on a horse too.

"But even when they were little, the tigers was still small compared to the elephants!" The old man waved his jagged cane at no one in particular. The horses pulling the wagon seem to be used to their loony driver because they didn't give a single thought or a back kick at their seats.

"Grandpa, I think they can't help it. Calm down before you fall off the wagon again!" Cyan tried to pull him back onto his seat when he started to tilt to the right of him. She had a firm grip on his arm even when he batted her hand with his cane.

"Perish the thought, child! I can steady meself just fine!"

"I think he's finally cynical, Cyan." One of the knife throwers, Steven McFallen called out to her. "We may need to put him into retirement."

"Better yet, we should dump him in the next old men's club and see how that turns out." The troop's tiger tamer Rebecca replied from the back. She rode in their wagon because of the animals cart was behind them. The tigers were at ease when she was around. They would listen to her like lionesses following a male lion.

"For your information, I am in impeccable shape and my mind is as sharp as ever!" Grandpa Apple waved his cane at the busty Rebecca which proved to be in vain since she could easily lean away from the swings. "Why back in my day, women would flock to me just to witness my strength. I could snap a small log with my knee and I can recite the war call of the peacock."

"What call of the what?" Both the women asked. They didn't understand what he was trying to say about the war call. However, they thought they should let the old man humor them. All they hope for is he does not fall off and break his back.

They quickly regretted asking the question. The old man groaned and bellowed through the deepest part of his throat. His white beard almost curled to his chin as he sucked in a big gulp of air, rolled his tongue and let out a ear splitting scream. Cyan covered her ears at the scream and wondered how Grandpa Apple wasn't deaf yet. Or better yet how he was still alive from all the crazy stories he's told them and the shenanigans him and the ringer leader went in their youth. The "call of the peacocks" seemed like it dragged out for maybe an hour and most of the troop that was in front of their wagon was starting to look back to see if the old man was breathing or just to see if he was still alive. He took a deep breath and there was silence. Sweet, blissful silence. The girls could hear the sounds of the wagon wheels going along the path and the animals breathing. It was perfect silence without anyone talking.

"So what do you think of that, Miss Doubting-Your-Own-Grandpa?" Grandpa Apple asked, ruining the blissful moment. Cyan sighed as she struggled to find a way to describe the horrible assault on her ears. She glanced back at Grandpa Apple only to see hardly an expression on his face. Grandpa Apple was a short old man about 5'4 while Cyan herself was 5'6. His hair was gray and he was balding on the top. He wore faded green trousers and a faded black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He also had short black boots on. He was a tough old man but Cyan wanted to carefully think on how to respond to her dear adopted grandpa.

"It sounds like a dying animal to me." Cyan blurted out. She froze and covered her mouth. _You idiot! You weren't supposed to say that!_ Grandpa Apple may be old, but it doesn't mean his hearing was gone. It seemed like every year his hearing gets sharper and sharper only when her and the younger members of the troop joke about him behind his back. Or when they try and sneak one of his famous candied apples.

"It did not!" He shouted. His face grew deep red from both embarrassment and anger. If he turned any redder, Cyan feared he would force himself a heart attack or get a nose bleed. It was easy to make him flustered or angry since he had the temper of a Spanish bull. Members of the troop wondered if a Spanish bull and Grandpa Apple were to be put in the same arena or the same room, who would win. Personally, Cyan thought he would win even though she doesn't want to put the two in the same room. It would be hell to clean up after either one.

"What's wrong with the animals?! Which one is dying?!" Their ring leader rode up in his white horse toward their wagon. Grandpa Apple frowned deeply at what his old friend said. When he frowned, he looked like wrinkled out cat after a bath.

"I ain't dying, ya colorful fool!"

"If you are, it is about time. I had to carry on your heavy load since I was a lad! It will be a blessing to rid myself of the evil that is you, Monsieur Apple Chatter. Or should I say Monsieur Ferdinand of the Liver."

"I thought I told you to never speak of my name!"

"I only shortened your name, my friend~." The ringer leader laughed heartily as the old man waved his cane trying to hit him on the head. Cyan only smiled at the sight and sighed in content.

Their ring leader was Valjean the famous owner of the Golden Dream circus, the most magical circus the world has ever known. Or maybe a few countries at least. Their circus was a funny and amazing one because of the ring leader's hat. His hat brought him many things and helped him with his tricks. He is forty-eight years old but he had the stamina of a twenty year old man. Nothing seemed to slow their leader down.

"You are really funny as always, Monsieur Valjean." Cyan rubbed her eyes trying not to laugh at poor Grandpa Apple's humiliation. Valjean turned his head to her direction and sighed almost reminiscing. He couldn't believe how much she grown over the years from a hurt seven year old girl to a young, independent nineteen year old woman. However, there was one habit that hasn't died off.

"Cadence, you know you can always call me Father if you want." Valjean told her while he steadied his horse. Cyan looked away embarrassed.

"I-I know but it's just a habit." Cyan felt warm on her face. Despite her time with the circus, she was still a child at heart and such habits stuck with her. Valjean was like a second father to her since that fateful day when her mother abandoned her twelve years ago. She learned how to perform each different act in case a member was sick or unable to perform their stunt. However, calling their leader 'monsieur' was an old habit that she could not get rid of. She felt like she wasn't worthy to be in the circus because she was the only normal person in the group. Most of the members have lost a limb or could do tricks like dislocate their arm and put it back in easily.

However, everyone did their best to cheer her up and drive those negative thoughts away.

"Awww, the little red head is blushing. It's so adorable." Rebecca smirked at her comrade's tomato colored face.

"IT IS NOT!"

"Even your reaction is also adorable! You're like a tigress with the attitude of a kitten." Before Cyan could defend herself and deny her claim, they heard the acrobats up front cheer and soon the horses started to get excited as well. It did not take long before the rest of their animals grew excited and the entertainers in the back started to shout with amusement. This only happened if they were coming into a town. Both the girls smiled and got up from their seats and ran to the back where they kept their giraffes. Grandpa Apple shouted for them to sit down but it fell on deaf ears. They climbed up one of their giraffes to see a small town up ahead of them. It looked like heaven to the troop since they had not seen a town since they left Germany and had to stop in the middle of forests just to get fresh fruit, fresh meat, and water. Valjean let out a loud hearty laugh and tapped the bridge of his top hat.

"Strike up the band and ready yourselves everyone! We are coming into our next stop: Villeneuve!" He shouted.

* * *

I do not own Beauty and the Beast. It belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the circus!

 **Please no flames or mean comments!**


	3. Arriving into town

When the circus came into the small town of Villeneuve, the sleepy town was just starting their lazy afternoon. The townspeople was either working or shopping on the streets such the shopkeepers tending their business and the housewives buying food for the days dinner. The children of the town were just getting out of their studies and ready to let out some steam from the day's lesson. They were ready for whatever adventure they can think of and some were ready to cause mischief. The men idled near the tavern waiting for the sun to set and drink up as much liquor as they could buy.

Gaston was just coming into town with LeFou carrying his recent catches in a bag. It was a good day of hunting considering he shot down three ducks, snared two foxes, and trapped one raccoon. Gaston was vexed at the fact he could not find a deer. LeFou, on the other hand, knew Gaston was being too loud today. So it was only natural deer would stay away from loud noises even if it was Gaston's booming voice.

"You caught at least six animals today, Gaston. That's better than any man in town can catch." The short, semi-obese man tried to encourage his friend.

"I may have, but I haven't shot a deer!" Gaston shouted, grabbing a apple from the fruit shopkeeper's hand and bites a big chunk out of it. "It's a disgrace! I am the best hunter in town and I should get the best!"

Gaston had an ego that was larger than himself and he wanted the best. He achieved almost everything he could think of: the best guns to hunt with, the best prey to kill, the best clothing, and etc. His endless quest for having the best things was a daunting task, but it was worth it for him. He achieved fame from his time in the war, but he struggled to find what exactly he needed. Ever since the war, he tried to find what he was missing. Once again, he pondered through his mind trying to think of what it was while LeFou kept barking with praise about Gaston's 'successful' hunt. Suddenly, he heard cheerful music in the distance and he turned to local musicians who were just buying a late lunch of bread from the baker.

"Will you quiet down?! I am trying to think!" He yelled. He wasn't in a good mood and the musicians noticed that very quickly.

"It wasn't us, monsieur!" The violin player pleaded.

"Then who is it?!" The hunter roared, looking around from where he stood until he turned to the entrance of the village.

There was ten wagons coming down the path with strange people riding in six of them. Four white and brown horses rode on the sides of the wagons with three men in white puffy shirts and black tights rode on the horses' backs. Every now and then, one of the horses had a woman in the same outfit as the men riding on the back. The people in tights were on their hands as the horses trotted their way into the streets and there was one person on each of the horses tossing daggers into the air and catching them by the handle. They did not drop a single knife despite the bumpy path the horses were trotting on.

"Oh, a circus is here! Look at the performers! Have you ever seen a trick like that, Gaston?" LeFou asked giddily. It wasn't everyday a circus came into their sleepy town.

"I can do better than that, LeFou! I can toss four knives into the air and catch them with one hand." Gaston scoffed, taking another bite out of his apple.

"Oh really?!" LeFou asked. "Then maybe these guys are just amateurs compared to you. They can't do what you can do." He boasted even though his eyes were glued to the circus wagons.

Gaston rolled his eyes as more of the wagons came into town and he saw the rest of the troop. They were outcasts compared to him. He saw how some of the performers lost their limbs and replaced them with fake limbs. Gaston let out a laugh when he saw some performers didn't bother to replace their missing limb. _Rogues and misfits. Why are they even here? They won't last a night in this town. Not if I have anything to say about it._ Gaston thought to himself. The ring leader Valjean came into town riding on his white horse after the knife throwers and acrobats rode in. He marveled at the sight of the town since it had been at least four weeks since they last been in a town. It had been so long since they saw unfamiliar faces and he wanted to make the best of their situation.

"Come one, come all!" Valjean shouted and stood up on his horse. "Come see our acrobats perform their death-defying stunts! Dazzle your eyes to our lovely dancers perform. Tingle your tastes buds to our old Grandpa Apple's famous sweet apples!"

"I AIN'T THAT OLD!" Grandpa Apple shouted from his rickety wagon. Many of the townspeople laughed at his reaction including LeFou. Gaston let a chuckle escape his mouth and watched as the animals' wagon came into view.

They had elephants, tigers, giraffes, and peacocks in different colored wagons to match the animals skin/fur/feathers. The tigers gave out a roar at the crowd and some of the little girls hid behind their mothers in fright. If Gaston could get his hands on those beasts, he could use their fur as decorations. Yes, those furs would look majestic on him. The peacocks' wagon pulled up behind the tigers and male peacocks fan out their beautiful green tail feathers. The girls who hid behind their mothers were in awe at the birds and soon came out of their hiding spot. Valjean smiled and took off his top hat and waved his right hand over the hole. The hat trembled and sweets erupted from inside. The goodies fell over the crowd and LeFou jumped trying to reach a big piece of sweet candy only for Gaston to take it.

"I believe this is mine." Gaston stated and took a bite. The candy was taffy and it was really chewy under his teeth. But it didn't last long in his mouth after a few chews before he swallowed it. _It tastes good but it's made so cheap. There's not a lot of texture and it's not chewy enough._ He thought to himself.

"And last but not least, come listen to the belle of Golden Dream Circus." Valjean took out a long silk red cloth from his coat pocket. "She will mystify your mind with her tales of adventure, romance, and tragedy. Let me introduce our lovely Cyan!"

Valjean waved his right hand over the cloth and the fabric twisted up until he pulled it back to reveal Cyan holding onto his left hand and balancing on his horse with her right foot. The crowd was in a mix of awe and confusion. They wondered how this man brought her out of nowhere with nothing but that cloth. And the townspeople wondered what in the world Cyan was wearing. She wore a short light blue dress though it had dark blue sides with long sleeves, and black lace on the ends of the sleeves. She wore a small brown belt that went around the middle of her dress and red thread crossing into the fabric to keep the coat like fabric together. Below her neck was a black and blue striped rim, and Cyan wore a black necklace. She wore black stockings and black boots that went up her calves because the dress itself was a few inches above her knees. Her dark red hair was tied back in a bun. How can she dress like that in public? She looked indecent to the crowd even though her dress was beautiful.

Gaston was frozen in place when Cyan appeared out of nowhere. His eyes scanned her and took in everything he saw. She was different from the other women in town. Her dress choices could be altered but she was pretty. This woman didn't reveal her chest like the girls whom follow him around and she didn't seem to care if she was different.

"That girl is pretty brave." LeFou said and bites into a piece of candy that he finally caught. "Most girls won't hang on like that on a horse."

"Yes. They find it unladylike." Gaston watched as Valjean and Cyan slowed down their horse and made their faithful animal face the crowd.

"Ladies and gentleman of the town, it saddens me to report that our performance will be delayed." Valjean took off his hat and bowed his head. 'You see, we have traveled such a long way from here and our animals are weary. Our performers need their rest to recuperate from our journey." His face became saddened when some people in the crowd groaned upset.

"However, we hope to put on a show for you all once we are well rested." Cyan added and stepped down from the horse. "We are staying in town for a week or so. We hope to see you all very soon." Cyan smiled at the crowd. LeFou clapped with the crowd when Valjean helped Cyan back on his horse and they rode off toward the outskirts of town.

"I can't wait until they put on that show. They sound terrific. What about you, Gaston?" LeFou turned to his friend and noticed Gaston was staring off to where Valjean and Cyan rode off. A small smirk formed on the hunter's face and Gaston tossed his apple aside on the road.

"I must meet her, LeFou."

* * *

I am happy to report that I have bought the live action Beauty and the Beast DVD so hopefully I can write and update more chapters!

I want to thank everyone who has reviewed my story so far! You are truly a big help!

Nausicca of the Spirits, I hope this answers your question. ;)

I only own Cadence/Cyan and the circus.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

 **Please no mean comments or flames!**

Cyan's dress is based off of Miku Hatsune's Avant-Grande dress. So the credit belongs to SEGA.


	4. A friendly chat

"Why did you get the crowd so worked up, Valjean? We aren't ready for a show!" Cyan angrily shouts into Valjean's ear.

"I know, I know. I forgot about it, dearie." Valjean told her, holding onto the horse. His head started to hurt from her loud voice.

Valjean and Cyan was making their way toward the outskirts of Villeneuve and to regroup with the rest of the circus. Valjean's horse Poppy was tired from the long journey they had before they reached the town. His riders noticed and disembarked off him to let him regain his strength. Valjean stroked Poppy's mane and got hold of the rope attached to his mouth piece. Cyan groaned in pain because of her sore feet, but she knew Poppy had been on his hoofs since they left Germany. She knew the horse needed a well-deserved rest. So the two continued their walk on foot across the grassy fields outside of the small town.

"So are you going to explain why you went ahead and lied to the crowd?" Cyan looked around the path to make sure they going the right way to their temporary home.

"I just couldn't wait to tell them. It's the anticipation and the thrill of the crowd cheering for our shows that drive my fiery passion. I can't deprive the public from the excitement." The ring leader replied and clenched his free hand, smiling. He loved his circus and he was always excited to put on a show and dazzle the crowds. However, it grew annoying to Cyan since Valjean knew their animals and staff would be tired from a long journey.

"You have a big mouth when it comes to the circus. You forget a lot of things and I would be surprised you haven't lost your head if God had not attached it to your body." Cyan crossed her arms and huffed.

"I have to thank you for my forgetfulness. Your nagging makes me want to forget and so far, all you have given me is a splitting headache." Valjean retaliated and gave her a devious smirk. He dramatically fell to his knees and looked up at the sky. "Oh God who art in heaven, why have you cursed me with a loud mouth of an adopted daughter?! Her cooking will be the death of me and her horrid dancing will cripple my feet!"

"Oh, shut up, you craven fool!" Cyan glared at him and kicked him hard on the back while he laughed through the pain.

This was a regular moment for the two every time they came into a new town. If Valjean messed up and told a crowd the wrong idea, Cyan had to correct his mistake and punish him for that mistake. Her punishments were never severe since all she did was scold him like a mother would scold a child. It was ironic considering Valjean is her adopted father ever since the day her mother sold her to him, but he knew Cyan was just looking out for him. He often wondered how unfortunate Cyan was when she first started living with him. It took him four months to earn her trust and an additional five months to help her break apart from the nightmares Cyan's mother inflicted on her. Valjean was just happy to see her open up more to people since her abandonment.

The journey toward their temporary home was taxing on them and Cyan could not wait to see the rest of the troop and relax. She couldn't wait to eat Satin Sally's famous potato and beef stew, drink up freshly squeezed fruit juice, and watch Grandpa Apple and Jacques get drunk. Sometimes, Cyan would see if the two could still sing songs without slurring the lyrics. It was funny to see them try even though the circus loses two or three barrels of wine from Jacque and Grandpa Apple's drinking. They try not to escalate into a fight because Valjean and Satin Sally's seven year old son Cole would always be nearby. And it was a death wish to hurt that precious little boy since he had a protective mother and adopted older sister Cyan. However, it was fun to see Grandpa Apple attempt to flee from Satin Sally.

"Are we almost there, Valjean? My feet are starting to kill me." Cyan started to lag behind Valjean and Poppy. She was wearing boots with heavy heels in the back and she was going to rip out the heels once they finally stop.

"We are almost there. Just over the hill and we will see the campsite and the temporary house we will be staying." Valjean informed her. He chuckled to himself watching Cyan take off her boots and rip out the heels. Cyan put the heels in Poppy's satchel bag for safe keeping until they reached the troop. She let out a sigh of relief now that her soles didn't have much pressure under them.

Valjean and Poppy stopped on a small hill so Cyan could catch up to them. Poppy let out a huff and the hair of his tail smacks her in the face. It was like he was telling her, 'you are too slow. You need to be faster." Cyan had her mouth open when he did that and she was currently trying to spit out horse hair out of her mouth. Valjean couldn't help but laugh from his horse's arrogance and Cyan's reaction to being smacked by a horse's tail. It was normal for his horse to tease Cyan despite Poppy was cranky to the other members of the circus. Poppy had a reputation of being more cranky than Grandpa Apple and he once used his rear legs to kick Grandpa Apple into a barrel of water because Poppy didn't get an apple from Grandpa Apple after a show. However, Poppy was gentle toward Cyan, even though Cyan was the one who had to wash him and he hated it when she dug the dirt out from his hooves.

"Take a look at our new home. These fields of green are our borders from all of France and Villeneuve. It's a short walk towards the town, so we can wash our clothes and buy some food." Valjean told her.

When Cyan finally caught a glimpse of the view, she was almost speechless. The fields were lush with grass, wild flowers, small trees, and bushes scattered across the field. The small hills looked like green waves when the wind blew gently across the grass, and she could smell the sweet wild flowers when the wind blew at her direction. It smelled like heaven to her since she was used to camping out in fields and forests during the circus' travels. She hates the bugs that came out at night, but it was only a small price to pay to be able to smell the wild flowers and feel the cool breeze on her skin in the morning.

"It's beautiful." Cyan breathed and smiles at the view.

"Indeed." Valjean replied and turned to her. He looked at her boots in her hands and began to wonder if circus life was taking a toll on her despite she insisted she was alright after the boots came off. He noticed the bottom of her stockings was beginning to tear apart from walking on the ground. "Circus life isn't always easy for you, Cadence. You know, you could find a husband and leave the circus if you want."

"I wouldn't leave the circus. Why would I want to leave?" Cyan turned to him.

"Well, one day you will find a man who can take good care of you. He can give you a home, cook delicious meals, and treat you like a woman. You wouldn't have to suffer like the rest of us. We hunt for our food, we sleep in tents, or the wagons if the animals will let us. But, of course, you know the tigers only let Rebecca in their wagon."

"And the peacocks hate me with every feather on their body." Cyan added. She always had trouble dealing with their lovely peacocks. For whatever reason, the peacocks did not like her and would peck at her if she got close to their wagon. The poor young lady made sure she was far away from the beautiful birds when they were allowed out of their wagon to stretch out their legs. She learned the hard way that despite male peacocks' heavy tail feathers: they could still fly. This lesson was learned after she came too close to the wagon and the bars weren't very close and the birds went after her.

"Exactly. We are always on the road, we earn our riches from our performances, and we are are outcasts. Cadence, this isn't a life for a young lady like yourself. If you can a find a man that will treat you right, you can leave the circus." Valjean explained, taking his hat off somberly. It was sad to think about because he loved his adopted daughter dearly, but he wanted the best for her.

"I.." Cyan tried to think of the right words. "I highly doubt I'll find the one."

"This is something to think about in the future, dearie. You don't have to rush into love." Valjean patted her head.

They heard the sound of horses galloping toward them and looked behind them when the sound got closer. They spotted two men riding on their horses across the fields until they reached Cyan and Valjean and they stopped in front of them. Cyan noticed one of the horses was black and the other was brown with a white line going down its forehead and onto its nose. Their riders were definitely different from each other as well. One of them was a tall, muscular, and strapping man with greasy black hair that was slicked back into a ponytail. He wore a brown vest, a puffy white shirt that hung between the closed vest, brown pants, a brown coat with red cuffs and red lapels, ten gold buttons on each side, and he wore heavy black boots. He had a stubble beard and he was very handsome to say the least. He noticed Cyan and gave her a cocky smirk and she looked away from him. _Oh dear lord, who is this man? He's making my spine shiver and not in a good way._ She thought to herself.

The other man was the opposite of the muscular one. He was short in height, obese, and his hair was styled the same as his friend only he had sideburns. The short man wore a pale shirt, a cream colored vest, cream pants, a dark cream jacket with ten buttons on each side of the folds, heavy brown boots, and wore a red bow around the collar of his shirt. He was staring at his friend admiringly and his eyes never let the tall man as he jumped off his horse. _Looks like someone has a fan._

"We finally meet, miss Cyan. It's an honor to meet you." The tall man said, taking her right hand and kissed the back of her hand. "I was admiring you in the crowd when you arrived into town."

"T-Thank you? Excuse me, but who are you?" Cyan asked, looking at him. His eyes never left her and she didn't feel so good around him. She could smell heavy cologne that didn't hide his horrible musk. He smelled like he just came back from hunting.

"You don't know who this guy is?!" The short man asked, surprised at her. "This is Gaston! He is everyone's favorite guy in the village! He's the greatest hunter in the whole world!"

"That's enough, LeFou!" Gaston yelled back at LeFou. He was irritated that he didn't introduce himself to her but perhaps it was enough to impress her. He knows women loves a man who is popular and could hunt. "I have come to take you to the tavern to dine with me."

"To eat with you?" Cyan asked. She would like something to eat and if he was willing to pay for the meal then she might go with him.

"Yes, but I think you should get dressed before we can go back to town."

"I'm already dressed. What is wrong with my outfit?" Cyan looked at herself. Sure, she could switch stockings and put on her boots again, but there was nothing wrong with her outfit. It was still clean and it was the only outfit she had with her at the moment. The rest of her clothes was in a trunk with the troop.

"It's not exactly decent to wear. Surely you must have a longer dress than this. You're hiding your corset well in this dress. But I think you would look more beautiful in a longer dress. You cannot show anyone else your legs until you're married. Unless, are you married?" Gaston informed her. However, it sounded like he was demanding her to change into something he wants her to wear. Cyan felt her face turn hot as her anger started to show. She glared at Gaston and slapped him hard on his face.

"I'm not wearing a damn corset! And I will wear as I see fit!" Cyan yelled at him. "And I am not married nor am I trying to find a husband now! And I refuse to eat with you if I think I will throw myself to you!"

"I think it's time we head home, dearie." Valjean gently pulled Cyan toward Poppy before he helped her climb onto his back. He climbed onto Poppy's back and they rode away from Gaston and LeFou.

"Who does she think she is?! Are you alright, Gaston?!" LeFou jumped off of his horse to check on him. He looked over the cheek Cyan slapped Gaston at and it seemed it was red from the impact.

"LeFou, I am more than alright. She is what I've been looking for." Gaston breathed, and watched Cyan riding away from them.

"I beg your pardon?"

"She refuses to change herself when I asked her. Cyan is as stubborn as she is beautiful." Gaston rubbed his chin and slowly climbed back onto his horse. "I will have her."

LeFou was not only surprised a circus girl slapped his hero, but now he was flabbergasted that his hero wants her! In LeFou's opinion, Cyan was defiantly different from the other young ladies in town, but Gaston deserved better. Unfortunately, it meant Cyan was best and LeFou would have to help Gaston in whatever it is that he will do to impress her. LeFou was only thankful that Cyan wasn't one of those women that easily flock to Gaston. But there was going to be trouble in the future.

Meanwhile, Cyan looked back at the men as they rode off back into Villeneuve and she finally let out a sigh of relief. She didn't want to deal with Gaston at all and she was hoping she can avoid him if she goes back into town. He seemed charming but he imposed himself to make discussions for her and change her appearance. It was surprising how fast Valjean was to get her out of the men's sight. Cyan knew Valjean was protective when it came to suitors coming after Cyan and his female performers but Cyan has never seen him restrain himself without pulling something from his hat. However, this gave her an opportunity to tease her adopted father.

"So, how about that Gaston? Will you let me marry him if he asks for my hand?" Cyan asked and tugs on the brim of his hat.

"Do you want to?" Valjean glanced behind at her.

"God, no." Cyan shook her head and scrunched her nose a little. "He's too self-centered for my tastes."

"Good, please do not take his proposal. I don't like him." Valjean said without hesitation.

"What happened to 'if you want to find a man'?"

"Cadence, I rather deal with your terrible cooking than let you go out with that pompous baboon and let him change you."

* * *

I want to give a **HUGE** thanks to my beta reader: RabbitonSteroids for helping me fix my mistakes. This is one of the longest chapters I have written for this story so far!

So, now we get into Cyan's interaction with Gaston. No one gets slapped like Gaston ;)

I want to give a fair warning for those who have not seen the live action movie. There will be some spoilers to the movie and I want to apologize for anyone who hasn't seen it yet! So read at your own risk!

Once again I only own Cyan, Valjean, and the circus!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.


	5. Life in a small town

_The circus' stay was anything but pleasant during their time in Villeneuve. The troop members were ostracized by the villagers because of their appearances. The villagers did not understand the troops didn't choose their look due to genetic disabilities or loss of limbs from unfortunate circumstances. Whenever one of the members went into the small town, they were welcomed by glares from the vendors, bystanders moving out of their way, and pompous young women talking behind their backs about how unusual the member was. And because of that, several members of the circus refused to go into town unless they deemed it was necessary. The circus was used to this kind of discrimination in many villages in other countries during their time on the road, but everyone agreed Villeneuve was one of the worst.._

 _So if anyone needed something from Villeneuve, they would either send Grandpa Apple, Jacque, Cole, or Cyan into the gossiping town. Someone had to go with Grandpa Apple and Cole if they went into town. Grandpa Apple had a temper against anyone who talked bad about his circus family behind his back. He loved the members even if they drove him crazy. But even in his old age, he was willing to fight the bullies, which included fighting Gaston. Sadly, the old man never stood a chance against the local war hero and hunter. One time, Gaston hoisted the old man when Grandpa tried to 'explain' that the circus wasn't full of freaks and misfits, and then Gaston dumped him into the laundry fountain. That was the last time he went into town by himself. It was a crime toward the circus because the troop worried about Grandpa Apple's back and they knew no villager wanted to stand up against Gaston._

 _Gaston did nothing wrong in the villagers eyes despite knowing Grandpa Apple was an old man with a fiery temper. The younger troops thought his temper was the main reason no one wanted to help him. The old man ranted to the girls to "never marry a man like Gaston. Don't fall in love with a man who acts like Gaston cause he ain't worth the ground you walk on." However, Jacque was the only one out of the fifty members that found it funny when the old man came sopping back home. Jacque was a prankster and he was also a jester in the circus. He often performed with Rebecca because he would use the animals in his act. Many of his acts included pranking on several members of the circus with card tricks, switching ripe fruits with rotten fruit, trying to get them to balance on a ball with one foot, and using pies to throw at their faces._

 _Jacque seemed to idolize Gaston when he heard what happened to Grandpa Apple because he was planning on making him land in a barrel about two-thirds full of wine if Jacque and the old man went drinking. He thought Grandpa Apple would like the prank since he loved wine. But one night, Jacque had a taste of Gaston's trickery for himself. Jacque had to go to to the tavern to buy a couple barrels of wine because Satin Sally got mad at him for drinking the girls' portion and he was willing to pay with the money he earned from doing odd jobs around the village. Gaston told him to stay a little longer and join him and LeFou for some drinks. Jacque also stayed to play cards with Gaston to see who would pay for the drinks. When Jacque won in the card game, Gaston made two guys name Tom and Stanley pick Jacque from the table, put him in a barrel about two-thirds full of wine and rolled him down the hill where the circus was staying below. The circus stayed near an old farm house that was close to the forest and going down the hill was a bumpy ride because of the rocks. When Jacque was released from the barrel, his uniform was drenched and he had trouble breathing from both the wine and for being in the barrel for too long. Unfortunately, Jacque realized that he was robbed before he was stuffed into the barrel without knowing it. Since then, Jacque didn't want to be anywhere near Gaston._

 _As for Cyan, she was considered to be a 'funny girl' in the villagers eyes. She had a normal appearance since she didn't have any missing limbs and she was pretty. However, she had a temper just like Grandpa Apple when it came to people judging her, the circus, and her clothes. Cyan would wear dresses that went above her knees and in the village's society, it was inappropriate to wear in public. Cyan didn't care what they thought about her clothes, but she didn't like Gaston's attempts on her. It seemed like whenever she went into town, he was always there looking for her. It wasn't hard to be noticed since it was a small town, but it was hard to avoid Gaston since he wouldn't leave Cyan alone unless she tells him that she was going home. Gaston would give her gifts to show his affection: flowers and meat from the animals he hunted. Cyan would throw the flowers on the ground or give them to LeFou and the meats would often be ruined by her horrible cooking. It was a gamble when she cooked considering most of the meals she cooked ended up hard as a rock or be hard on the outside but raw on the inside. It was rare if one of her meals was cooked right._

 _Cyan became a target to three young women called the Bimbettes because of Gaston's affection. The women wanted his attention and didn't know what he saw in a circus girl. They knew she couldn't cook and she wasn't interested in their crush. They hoped it would be enough to make Gaston stop pursuing her and maybe catch a glimpse of them. Cyan didn't understand why the women dolled themselves to be a toy for Gaston. In Cyan's eyes, the women threw away their dignity just to be noticed and cherished by the hunter. They were the puppets, Gaston was the controller, and Cyan herself was the pierrot that Gaston wants to control._

 _Cyan couldn't wait to leave the town once everyone was ready to go. Valjean was convinced that the town wasn't going to watch them perform since the villagers were heavily discriminating his cast. The circus tried to leave about four months after they arrived to the village. They were there since March and they had enough food for both the people and the animals by the time July came. But they had a problem: Grandpa Apple's cart was ruined. The wagon itself looked like it was torn, sawed, and their food baskets was stomped on. No one could figure out who destroyed Grandpa Apple's cart, but because of it, the circus had to stay a few weeks for repairs._

 _By the time it was August, the wagon was repaired and everyone was ready to leave until Cole noticed the peacocks was acting weird. Rebecca and Cyan couldn't get the peacocks into their wagon and it was surprising for the troop because the birds would chase Cyan if she got close to them. The birds didn't try to chase her. They found out that one of the peahens had laid eggs and the flock was protecting the nest. Valjean didn't want to disturb the nest and risk the eggs getting cracked during their travels and so they had to stay until the eggs hatched which would be a month or so._

 _Everyone was happy to know there would be chicks soon but they weren't happy about staying in Villeneuve. Cyan could only hope they could leave as soon as possible when the chicks hatch. She wanted adventure again and it was something she couldn't wait for._

* * *

Special thanks to my beta reader: RabbitonSteriods!

Thank you to my followers so far and thank you once again for the reviews!

I will try and have the next chapter posted this weekend!

So far, it doesn't seem like the circus is having any luck. And who could have done that to Grandpa Apples wagon? Any guesses?

I only own Cyan and the circus!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney

PLEASE NO MEAN COMMENTS OR FLAMES!


	6. Cyan tells a story

Cyan grew very bored of Villeneuve's morning routine. At exactly eight o'clock in the morning, every villager greets each other and goes into the streets to begin their busy day. The baker would bake his pastries and breads even though one of his breads will be stale since he forgot to throw out the old bread from the day before. The fish vendors brings out their fish and other aquatic creatures to be sold to the villagers. The fruit vendors would have fresh produce, but they also had rotten fruit in the back of the carts so farmers could use them to feed their pigs.

Valjean thought it would be a good idea to go into the market to pick up food and a new nightgown for Cyan since hers was tragically ripped by Rebecca. Yesterday, Rebecca wanted to see if she could fit into it while Cyan was outside helping Cole with the peacock eggs. Rebecca's large chest couldn't fit into the top part of the nightgown and she thought it was a good idea to force herself into it. Gaston 'happened' to be there and Cyan had to use one of his white shirts as a substitute until morning. Now Cole and Cyan was waiting by the laundry fountain.

Cyan was already getting dirty looks from the Bimbettes when the young ladies saw Gaston's shirt folded between Cyan and Cole. They must be thinking something happened between Cyan and Gaston if his shirt is with her. They kept thinking if they shared a passionate night and if Cyan had a good look at his muscles. If they knew what had happened, Cyan doubted they would even believe her. When Gaston did give her the shirt, he offered to let Cyan stay at his house for the night which Cyan declined. _I have to admit. It was nice of him to let me borrow his shirt. But why was he even near camp?! We have been here for five months and not once he set foot into camp. Or was he there before? I don't remember telling him where I live._ Cyan thought to herself and tapped a finger on her right cheek.

"Is it cracking?" Cole asked and it snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Hm? Did you say something, Cole?" Cyan looked over at him.

"Is the egg cracking?"

"I don't feel the egg wobbling or moving so that's a no."

Valjean and Satin Sally found a use for Cyan's torn nightdress and Valjean thought it was perfect timing. The peacock eggs hatched yesterday and there was seven peacock chicks within the twenty peacocks they had. Now the circus has twenty-seven peacocks, twenty-two horses, nine tigers, six elephants, four giraffes, and possibly a rabbit that lives inside Valjeans hat. One egg didn't hatch and the mother peahen didn't want to tend to the egg since she had seven chicks to watch over. The egg had to be removed and Cyan was supposed to keep it warm until it hatches. Her former nightdress was wrapped around the delicate egg and it was carefully set in her satchel. It was on her lap under the book she had in her hands.

"I thought when peahens lay eggs, the whole cluster hatches at the same time." Cole said and looked at the satchel.

"Sometimes there's an egg that hatches late." Cyan explained, and turned a page in her book. "The egg could be a dud or the chick is late."

"Ooh." Cole wondered why his father asked Cyan to take care of the egg. The boy knew his adopted sister had horrible luck with the peacocks. This seemed like a punishment considering if that chick doesn't like Cyan, it will end up pecking her like the other adult peacocks. But Cole did think it would be funny to see a peacock chick chase after Cyan if it thinks she's the mother. He did wish their parents and Grandpa Apple would hurry up with their errands so he could go back home and play with the circus' baby elephant.

"What's that book you're reading?" Cole tilted his head so he could see the book cover.

"It's a book about fairy-tales." Cyan told him and looks over when he laid down on the ground.

"Again?! But you've read that a hundred times!" Cole sighed in boredom.

"No, I've only read it ninety-nine times so far." His adopted sister corrected him and gave him a small smirk when he pouted.

"I was still close. So it still counts."

Cole loved his adopted sister and he looked up to her for as long as he could remember. The farthest memory he could remember was when he was just a baby. Cyan was twelve years old when Cole was born and Cole remember his mother telling him Cyan wouldn't let go of him when the circus traveled. She would be the first one to reach him if he cried in the middle of the night and Cyan would sing him a lullaby her biological father would whisper to her when she was little. Cyan was his protector during those times and he wanted to do the same thing for her if she needed help. In Cole's eyes, she needed help because of Gaston.

Cole always noticed Gaston and LeFou would always be in town if Cyan was and Gaston would spot her. Cole didn't like Gaston for what the hunter did to the other members and for trying to woo Cyan. He figured Gaston was somewhere in Villeneuve and he was going to make sure he didn't get close to his sister.

"How about a story, Cyan? Can you tell us a story?"

"Sure, we have time for a story-." Cyan paused. "Wait, what do you mean 'us'?"

After Cyan asked him, Cole stood up on the edge of the laundry fountain and called out to the village to come listen to Cyan's story. The village's crowd was sparse around ten o'clock and there was hardly anyone around. Cole did manage to get seven people's attention and they came up to them. Their small audience were three little girls who was washing laundry beside Cyan, two boys who tried to sneak a peek at one of the Bimbettes changing out of her dress in a shop, the village's potter Jean Potts, and LeFou. Cyan found it funny two adults wanted to listen, but she didn't mind Jean and LeFou. She was only glad Gaston or the headmaster didn't hear Cole and come to see what 'trouble' Cyan was causing.

"Good morning, children." Cyan said before closing her book. "Aren't you two a little old to hear a story?" She looked over at the two grown men.

"You're telling stories? I thought the lad had something to say." Jean took off his straw hat and sat down in a chair near the fountain. Cyan noticed Jean must have been working hard since she saw the clay stains on his apron. He wore a red and white flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a red and yellow vest, brown pants, and his usual clay stained apron. His vest had a white rose pattern and Cyan loved it.

"He said 'come and listen to Cyan's story.'" Cyan told the potter and puts her satchel to the side while Cole joined in with the small audience and sat between a small fair skinned girl and a brown haired boy.

"Oh. I think my hearing is getting worse along with my memory." Jean rubbed the back of his head.

"Monsieur, you and Grandpa Apple have better hearing than any of us. And better looking than any of the men in this village. It takes a real man to wear an apron." Cyan smiled and turned her attention to LeFou. "Where's Gaston, LeFou? It's strange to see you without him."

"He wanted some time for himself. The ladies at the dress store wouldn't stop trying to get his attention and one of them ripped half of his jacket off." LeFou explained, and sat on the short stone wall surrounding the fountain.

"How the heck she do that?" Cyan raised an eyebrow.

"It got caught on her parasol handle. I tried to help fix it, but he was going home to change anyway." LeFou nervously twiddled his fingers.

"You're too good for him. It's actually a relief that he didn't join you." Cyan reassured him before she turned her attention to the audience.

Cole stood out like a sore thumb because of his dark skin and his clothes. He got his mothers skin because Satin Sally was from Spain and in Valjean's opinion, women from Spain was magnificent lovers and fiery people. And unfortunately, Cole inherited both his mother's fiery passion and his father's mischievous personality. Cole wore a hand-me-down reddish brown long sleeved shirt, beige baggy pants, and he was barefoot. The children didn't mind Cole, but their parents would often look at Cole and think his parents weren't taking care of him. It was the opposite: Valjean and Satin Sally loved Cole very much.

"Alright then, what kind of story do you want me to tell?" Cyan clasped her hands together.

"I want something about adventure!" One of the boys hollered. He was a blonde boy and he wore a school uniform that was similar to the headmasters'.

"How about a prince...?" The fair skinned girl nervously asks. The two boys gagged at the thought of a romance. "I love romantic stories."

"So we have a request for an adventure story and a romantic tale. Mr. Potts, do you have a request?" Cyan glanced at the potter.

"Nope." Jean shook his head. Cyan shook her head and thought about it for a moment. It took her a few minutes to think of a good story. It wasn't something that was written in books, but it should peak the audience's interest.

Cyan did have a role in the circus even though she wasn't odd looking like some of the circus members. She didn't have missing limbs or genetic disabilities. Cyan was considered normal in the circus so she mostly helped the other performers get ready for their acts before a show. However, Valjean told her many times that she was a gifted storyteller. Cyan grew up reading fairy-tales and Shakespearean plays even after she was sold into the circus. She was able to remember some of the fairy-tales and some parts of Shakespeare's plays, but she tries to find the books and re-read the stories so she could remember certain parts. It was hard to draw a crowd into her stories because sometimes, the audience has a very narrow sense of imagination and Cyan had to work with just her voice or have a few circus members help bring the stories to life. She often wished that she could use Valjean's magic hat so she could make it easier for the audience to see how the story goes. For now, she was okay with just making up her own stories and let the audience imagine the scene.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me weave a tale of adventure and romance for you." Cyan began and stood up. "It is advised that you have an open mind to see the story."

The children nodded and the girls grew excited to hear something new. The two boys was hoping it won't be boring like the headmaster's lectures. Jean thought it was a good time to take a break from work. LeFou was just there to listen.

"Long, long, ago in a faraway kingdom, there was a Sultan. The Sultan was beloved by his people because he made sure the kingdom was both prosperous and protected from outsiders. He was in need of a queen and he sent servants to spread the word. It didn't take long for single women to hear about his predicament and they flocked to his castle. However, the Sultan quickly grew bored of the suitors who threw themselves at his feet. Many wealthy families offered their daughters to be his queen in exchange for an alliance. The Sultan refused many of his potential suitors and often locked himself in his room to keep himself away from them. The women would make attempts to get into his room such as disguising themselves as servants or try and climb the vines outside his balcony."

"Why did he stay in his room? What was wrong with the women coming in?" Jean asked.

"Well, some of the women were vain and selfish. They just wanted the Sultan for his money and status." Cyan explained. "One day, the Sultan and a few of his guards was ambushed in the desert. A young English woman stumbled across the wounded men, had them climb into her wagon, and helped them back into the kingdom. The Sultan could only remember her bright green eyes and her blonde hair before he passed out from dehydration. When the Sultan woke up, he wanted to meet his savior and she was waiting for him in the throne room with her step-sisters. She was dressed in a brown raggedy dress while her two step-sisters were dressed in cheap pink and green dresses that made their butts bigger." Cyan said, and smiled when the boys laughed about the dresses. "His savior was forced to be a servant in her own home and wear rags for clothes. The Sultan was charmed by her looks and her integrity so he choose her to be his queen."

The girls awed at the thought, but the two boys had a disgusted look. LeFou was surprised the children was catching up to the story and Jean was just nodding his head. He looked back to see Gaston was hiding behind one of the fruit wagons. LeFou wondered how long the burly man was there, but he thought the reason was probably the same: Gaston wanted to see Cyan again. Normally, LeFou would get up and join his friend, but he wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"Months after they were married, the queen gave birth to a son and the Sultan was overjoyed to see his newborn son. The tiny prince was named Prince Ali Ababwa." Cyan continued her story.

"Prince Abubu?" One of the boys asked.

"Ababwa" Cyan corrected him. "Just think of 'Abab' and add the 'wa' after you're done pronouncing it."

"He's got an odd name." Jean remarked.

"Ali had an unusual appearance. His hair was whitish blonde, his eyes was icy blue, and he was fair skinned like his mother. He was quite adorable in his parents eyes and they prayed for their son to be healthy as he grew up. Ali grew up to be a strong and handsome man like his father was in his youth. Ali was much beloved by his people because the kingdom never had a fair skinned prince before. Ali loved his kingdom and he often donated some of his wealth to the poor, but his father's enemies did not like the prince. For many days, they tried to think of a way to get rid of Ali. And then, one day-"

"What is going on here?!" The headmaster interrupted her and stormed over to them.

"I was just telling a story about a Sultan and a prince, monsieur." Cyan said and crosses her arms.

The headmaster looked around to see Jean and LeFou sitting in their spots. Jean could see this meant trouble and he quickly got up from his chair and walked away from the scene. LeFou tried to get down from his spot, but he ended up falling behind the wall and he landed in the bushes. The children ran to their parents when some of the villagers came out of their homes to see what was going on. _Oh, now everyone wants to come outside when the headmaster says something._ Cyan cursed to herself and looked over at Cole. She didn't want the boy to get into trouble cause of her.

"Cole, go find Valjean and your mother." Cyan told him before she helped him off the ground.

"Stay here, boy. We need to have a talk." The headmaster ordered.

"He is not yours to command. So back off." Cyan glared at him and ushered Cole away. The boy climbed over the stone wall and jumped across the bushes. The wall was only two feet off the ground so it didn't hurt when he landed on his feet. Cole waved goodbye at LeFou who was stuck in the bushes and ran off to look for his parents.

"Girls are supposed to be doing the laundry, not telling ridiculous stories. The young ones are supposed to be learning about hard work. They are also supposed to listen to their elders. Something you should learn, Cyan."

"Nice to hear you admit you are old." Cyan kept a straight face when the headmaster frowned deeply at her comment. "They are not ridiculous. I was just telling a story for them so they can make their own stories while they work. Yes, hard work is something we need to learn, but what good is it if we cannot have a little fun while we work?"

"Don't try and confuse me with foreign words, young lady!" He shouted at her.

"Foreign?! I'm speaking normal words to you! You're the headmaster, but you don't know anything outside of your 'traditional' ways. All you're doing is demeaning everyone to follow your 'way of life'. What's wrong with being different? We can't help it if we look odd." Cyan told everyone and her patience was starting to dwindle.

"It's bad enough to have your kind are soiling our fair town. But now you are blaspheming lies to us!" One of the old ladies yelled at her. Cyan recognized her from the dress shop. The lady had red hair, wore rather plain peach dresses, and had a shrill voice.

"Excuse me?! My 'kind' hasn't done anything wrong to you!" Cyan shouted back at her.

Cyan felt like she was being attacked. The villagers gathered around the laundry fountain and started to criticize what she was doing. Cyan could only hear "It's bad enough we have to live with these freaks outside our village!" and "She's such a troublemaker! She'll never find a man!" and also "This is why women shouldn't learn how to read!" Then the rest of the insults were just calling her a freak, a troublemaker, and a miserable child. Their words started to break her down inside. Cyan didn't have anyone to back her up because most of her support was Valjean and the others. _What was wrong with telling children stories? What's wrong with having a little joy in everything?!Why do you have to yell at me?! God, help me get away from this! I don't care who you send! Just make this stop!_ Cyan shouted in her head. Cyan had no one to back her up in Villeneuve. She had LeFou and Jean, but they were nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, the crowd started to part when there was a loud gunshot. The women in the crowd started to panic and the men looked back to the sound to find Gaston right behind the crowd. He had his pistol pointing in the air and he had a smug look on his face.

"This is not how good people behave." Gaston said.

* * *

Cyan has someone backing her up, but it's defiantly not the person she wants!

My beta reader is not here right now so fingers crossed for no mistakes on this chapter, but if anyone sees a mistake, please do not hesitate to tell me! I will try and have the next chapter up this week!

I only own Cyan, the circus, and my version of Prince Ali.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

Please no flames or mean comments!

I love it when you guys review because it gives me more encouragement to get the chapters done faster!


	7. A pest and a guest

_God, you sent the wrong person!_ Cyan screamed in her head. She was surprised to see Gaston behind the crowd, but she wasn't happy to see him. The villagers would listen to Gaston since he couldn't do anything wrong in their eyes or they were just afraid of his pistol if they tried to make another move on Cyan. It seemed to be working since most of the villagers started to walk away. However, she felt the headmaster glaring down at her as he walked past her. The circus was always under attacked by the villagers' prejudice against them and not once Gaston tried to save any of the members. And here he was trying to save the only normal person in the group.

"Go home, everyone! Leave her alone!" Gaston shouted at the people as he made his way toward Cyan.

It took a few minutes for everyone to leave until it was only Cyan and Gaston. However, she knew later on one of the villagers will scold her for causing trouble and distracting Jean from his job. Cyan made her way back to the laundry fountain to grab her stuff. She checked the egg inside her satchel and sighed in relief when she saw it wasn't cracked. It was still wrapped in her torn nightdress and snugged in its makeshift nest. She closed the bag, picked up her book, and turned around only to find Gaston right in front of her. Cyan almost gagged from his musky odor and froze when he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I don't know what exactly happened, but I managed to stop it." Gaston told her and pulled out a rather large bouquet of flowers from behind his back.

"Yes, so you did. I supposed I have to thank you, Gaston." Cyan retorted and frowned when he shoved the flowers in her hands.

"For your dinner table, Cyan. May I join you for dinner this evening?"

"I think not!" Cyan shouted.

"Busy?" Gaston asked. He was trying to play coy and make Cyan feel guilty so he could come over. She doesn't want him to come over at all.

"No, I am cooking tonight and I don't need to drag another poor soul to a doctor." Cyan said. She was hoping this would scare him off. Cyan was terrible at cooking even though Grandpa Apple has tried to teach her how to cook. One of her under-cooked meals almost sent Valjean to a doctor because he kept eating her food. He didn't want to upset his adopted daughter if he didn't eat it and he ended up in bed for almost a week. It was now a punishment because if anyone took a prank too far, they are forced to eat Cyan's cooking.

"Well, how about you join me at the tavern tonight? The food is delicious." Gaston traced a finger under Cyan's chin.

"I just said I was cooking."

"You can cook for us at the tavern." Gaston suggested as he leaned in close to her face.

"Do you want to kill everyone with my cooking?!" Cyan was shocked because she was thinking Gaston hates everyone if he wants them to try her food. He was very close to her and it looked like he was leaning in for a kiss.

Suddenly, Gaston released her and jumped away from her. He was rubbing the left side of his chest in pain and both of them noticed one of the buttons on his jacket's left lapel was missing. Cyan was mostly surprised how fast it took for him to let go. Whenever the hunter got a grip on her, he wouldn't let go of her until LeFou or one of the circus members distracts him so she could escape. Cyan heard small peeping noises coming from inside her satchel and when she looked down, she saw a small brown head poking out with the missing button in its beak. The egg has hatched! The chick spits out the button and angrily screeched at the bulky man before nuzzling into Cyan's side.

"What is that?!" Gaston glared at the small bird.

"A peacock chick."

"So it's a squab?" Gaston walked over and grabbed the chick from her satchel. The poor little thing was trying to get out of his grip and kicking his wrist. "How do you like your squab, my dear? Boiled or baked?"

"Are you insane?!" Cyan shouted and took the chick back. She looked it over to see if it was okay. The small chick was dark brown around its wings, light brown on the chest and head, white down feathers, and three dark brown tiny feathers on the top of its head.

"But it's just a little squab!"

"It's a member of the circus! We do not eat our peacocks!" Cyan yelled and walked away from him.

Her attempt was pointless because Gaston started to follow her. Cyan tried to walk toward the town square and was thinking of ducking into the dress shop. She quickly avoided the shop because she noticed the Bimbettes were watching her from the windows and she didn't feel like having them nag at her. _If you want Gaston, one of you say something! Call his name or do something!_ Cyan thought to herself until she remembered LeFou telling her that one of the Bimbettes ripped Gaston's jacket this morning. So Gaston wouldn't stop if they called his name or if they did anything to get his attention. Cyan wasn't the only one who wanted Gaston to leave because the peacock chick was getting antsy in her arms. Cyan wanted to get home as fast as she could, but she didn't want Gaston to follow her and cause trouble.

Villeneuve had many hiding spaces Cyan would use to hide from Gaston. But now she couldn't hide without Gaston following her. Cyan stopped in the middle of the town square and waited for the hunter to catch up to her. He didn't look tired at all. It was like Gaston was on the hunt and Cyan was the prey being stalked endlessly by the savage hunter. The chick was peeved at Gaston coming closer to them and it tried to raise its tiny tail feathers to intimidate him. It only made the bird look adorable instead of frightening. When Gaston caught up to Cyan, he saw a nearby mirror and started to fix his hair. Cyan rolled her eyes at the mirror because she would catch Gaston speaking to his reflection about how gorgeous he is.

"What do you want, Gaston?" Cyan asked and placed the chick in her satchel.

"I understand what you are going through, Cyan." Gaston glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

"Oh, you do?" Cyan doesn't think he does, but she was going to give him the courtesy to explain why.

"Yes, it is like when I was in the war. I was just a boy when I was thrown into the army and I had different views than the other soldiers. The other men didn't understand me when I commanded them in the battlefield. You and I are alike, Cyan." Gaston explained as he straightened his coat.

"Do not compare me to you! I am not like you!" Cyan shouted, but it didn't seem Gaston was listening to her.

"But let's face it. These people don't like the change you're trying to bring. They do not trust you, Cyan." Gaston told her before he turned to her.

"I have a few people who trust me in this town! Jean seems to trust me because he came to listen to my story! Well, he was on a break so I guess he could've found another place to relax. But nevertheless, he stayed! LeFou was also there and he seems like my stories." Cyan explains before looking around for the short man. "Speaking of LeFou, where is he?"

"I'm right behind you guys!" LeFou called over as he ran down the street toward them. He had a few prickly branches stuck on his clothes and a few thorns in his cheeks.

"Are you alright?! What happened to you?!" Cyan asked and poked one of the thorns on his face which made him wince. It wasn't the first time she's seen him hurt, but she did feel sorry for him.

"I, uh, fell into the bushes when the headmaster came over. I'm sorry for running away." LeFou looked at the ground ashamed.

"I should be mad at you for leaving me behind. But, I think this is punishment enough. Now hold still." Cyan instructed him while she rolled her sleeves up. LeFou shrieked when she reached for one of the thorns in his face. "I haven't touched it yet!

Gaston droned out of Cyan and LeFou's voice as the red head kept talking to LeFou and LeFou's screaming for her to be gentle. Gaston was more focused on Cyan than his bumbling 'friend'. He was looking at her face and her dress. Her red hair was tied in a large braid even though some strands of hair was over her forehead. The braid went to the middle of her back. She wore the same dress she had on when the circus first came into town only the back of her dress was dirty from the laundry fountain's grime. He was mesmerized by her bluish green eyes and he began to wonder why she choose the circus life when she could have someone like him.

"Our children will be beautiful." Gaston spoke out loud.

"I beg your pardon?" Cyan asks and looks over at the hunter. LeFou was almost free from the thorns and prickled branches stuck to him. Cyan had the last thorn in her grip.

"Did I said that out loud?" Gaston looked around.

"Yes, yes you did. I'm going home. Goodbye, LeFou." Cyan informed the short man, plucked the thorn out, and walked past the two men.

LeFou waved goodbye at her and watched with Gaston as she walked out of their sight. He was only glad she got the thorns off him because they were starting to sink more into his skin when he first came up to Cyan and Gaston. He did wish that Gaston helped get the thorns out until he realized Gaston would have been rough pulling them out.

"Well, she's not interested. Maybe you should move onto another girl? There's plenty of people available for you to pick." LeFou said to his friend and looks up at him.

"It's the ones who play hard to get that are always the sweetest prey. That's what makes Cyan so appealing; she hasn't made a fool of herself just to gain my favor. What would you call that?" Gaston asked him.

"Dignity?" LeFou guessed. He knew Cyan was not like the other girls that followed Gaston. She didn't want anything to do with him and LeFou knows it.

"It's outrageously attractive, isn't it?" Gaston looked over at LeFou and smiled. He heard someone calling his name and turned around to see the Bimbettes in a wagon. All three of the women were coming out of a small carriage and they were wearing pink dresses, their hair in bonnets, and wore too much white makeup. He shook his head when he remembered how they ripped his other coat and walked away from the ladies.

Cyan was hiding behind a barrel in a nearby home's garden. She didn't care if she was going to get scolded by Satin Sally for getting her dress dirty. Cyan almost threw up in her mouth when Gaston compared her to prey and how he thought she was attractive. _Ugh, we need to leave this town and fast! I don't know how much longer I can take with him! I don't know how much more my nerves can take this._ Cyan thought to herself and stood up from her hiding spot. She carefully walked across the garden, trying to avoid the vegetables, and she climbed over the small fence. When she turned around, she saw a filthy young woman with dark circles around her eyes, her hair was tied back with a dirty gray hairband, and she wore a brown dress. Cyan screamed and fell backwards into a muddy puddle in the road.

"Madame, don't scare me like that!" Cyan yelled.

"I'm sorry..." The woman looked away.

"It's not your fault. I guess." Cyan mumbled to herself and got up. She looked at her book to see the pages were soaked. Her satchel was also damp, but the inside was still try since the chick was asleep in its makeshift nest.

"Cadence! There you are, my child!" Valjean called from the entrance of the village. He ran over to the women and hugged Cyan. "We have been looking everywhere for you since Cole told us what happened at the fountain. Um, why are you wet?"

"I fell in a puddle." Cyan said. "Where are the others?"

"Sally and Cole already went home. I told them we would meet them there once I found you."

"What about Grandpa Apple?"

"He was dunked into a barrel of wine and he's stumbling somewhere in town. He'll catch up soon." Valjean smiled. Cyan could only sigh at the thought of Grandpa Apple drunk and wondered why Valjean thought it was okay let the old man stumble behind. Their attention turned over to the woman when she sat down on the steps near them.

"Can you spare a few coins...?" The woman asked and extended her hand to them. "I don't have a place to stay.."

Valjean and Cyan looked at each other and then at the woman. They did feel sorry for her, but they didn't have a lot of money. However, they didn't want to leave her in the cold like this. It wasn't winter yet, but it does get a little chilly in the middle of the night. Valjean wasn't going to leave her by herself even if they can't give her money.

"What is your name, madam?" Valjean asked.

"Agathe..."

"Miss Agathe, we don't have any money with us right now, but would you like to come with us to our camp? We have food and shelter for you." Cyan asked. The woman looked up at them surprised.

"Will your friends want an ugly creature like me to eat with your ranks?" Agathe hesitated when she referred herself as ugly.

"It would be an honor if you ate with us, madame." Valjean took off his hat and bowed at her.

"We can give you a place to sleep for the night." Cyan added.

"I don't want to be a bother." Agathe looked away. She seemed uneasy about staying with them since many villagers turned her away everyday.

"It's no trouble at all, Agathe." Cyan smiled to reassure her.

"If you insist. I'll join you." Agathe said and Valjean helped her up to her feet.

Grandpa Apple wobbled up to the group and the women saw his white shirt was almost pink from the wine and his pants were soaked. The old man kept hiccuping when he tried to talk to them. It sounded like he was trying to say "I got dreams. I got some dreams." Cyan couldn't figure out if one of the villagers dunked him into the barrel or if Valjean copied Jacque's prank on Grandpa Apple. His beard was a darker color because of the wine and the old man kept sucking on it as an attempt to drink up the remains of the wine. He looked up at Agathe, smiled a toothy grin, and leaned on Valjean. The ring leader almost gagged from the smell of alcohol and body odor coming off of Grandpa Apple. The old man hasn't taken a bath for almost a week.

"Well, someone get me a glass. Because I just found myself a tall drink of water." Grandpa Apple replied and winked at Agathe. Valjean could only rub his face in embarrassment while Cyan looked over at their guest.

"You can slap him if you want to." Cyan offered.

* * *

Woo! I got another chapter posted after a day or two? Please let me know if there are any mistakes on this chapter!

So Cyan and Gaston interact a little more and Cyan does not want him at all. However, we know Gaston won't give up easily.

Also, Nausciaa of the Spirits, I didn't know that Gaston shaming the crowd was a deleted scene. So that was a surprise for me. I got that from the Beauty and the Beast Manga. Tokyopop made manga based off the live action and there's two volumes: Belle's Story and Beast's Story. I guess they added some deleted scenes in the movie? I really recommend the books!

I only own Cyan and the circus.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney!

Please no mean comments or flames! But please review!


	8. A party and Agathe's gifts

Grandpa Apple couldn't walk four steps without falling flat on his face. He was too intoxicated to think straight and the small group only had Valjean's horse Poppy as transportation. They had brought Poppy and Grandpa Apple's horse Ludwig that morning, but Satin Sally and Cole used Ludwig to head back to camp. Valjean had to ask the potter Jean if they could borrow his donkey for the day and he would return the donkey tomorrow morning. The ring leader offered to help with the pottery to pay for the donkey's services, but Jean told him he didn't have to. Valjean did learn why when he was getting the donkey out of the stable. He spotted a pink and green teapot on a table with the Bimbettes talking about how cute it looked.

"So he got a new design from my story?" Cyan asked, holding onto the rope around Poppy's mouthpiece.

"Oh yes, he was making pink and green teapots." Valjean nodded, petting the donkey's forehead. He had a firm grip of the harness around the donkey.

"Jean's basing off of the stepsisters' dress colors." Cyan smiled once she remembered what the stepsisters wore in her story.

"He mentioned the Bimbettes wants to buy the teapots when he's done painting them. They seem to be obsessed with the color pink." Valjean laughed.

"Nice to know someone else enjoyed my story. LeFou was there too, but he didn't say anything. He just fell into a thorn bush beside the fountain wall." Cyan shook her head, remembering she helped him pluck the thorns off him even though he acted like a big baby during the ordeal.

"Can you two be quiet for a minute?" Grandpa Apple complained, rubbing his head. "Oh, my achin' head..."

"That's what you get for falling into that barrel, old friend." Valjean looked back at the old man. Grandpa Apple hunched over the donkey's back. "Maybe this will teach you to stop drinking so much in the morning."

Grandpa Apple only glared at the ring leader. He didn't have the strength to start a argument with him because of his headache. Cyan and Valjean were walking alongside the animals so they could guide them to the camp. Agathe was quiet through their trip out of Villeneuve and she didn't slap Grandpa Apple when he drunkenly called her "a glass of water." That was what surprised Cyan because most of the poor women who caught his attention would slap him with either their hands or a nearby object. She found it amusing that he thought she was pretty despite her unclean appearance. Valjean was just surprised he wasn't slapped and Cyan wondered if she should have taken the offer herself, but her adopted father told her no.

"Are you okay, Agathe? You're being awfully quiet." Cyan asked, looking behind at the beggar woman.

"I'm alright. I'm just enjoying the ride." Agathe said. "I have to thank you for letting someone like me join you for the night."

"Hey, outcasts has to look out for each other."

"'Outcasts'? What do you mean about that?" Agathe asked

"You'll see for yourself." Cyan replied.

The small group heard the village's clock tower chime when they got close to their camp. It chimed four times before it silenced. Cyan was surprised the day was going fast, but she was only glad she wouldn't see Gaston at night. She knew he would be showing off at the tavern and the Bimbettes would be eyeing him from a table across the fireplace. Gaston always sat in a chair by the fireplace-not to mention, the one time she went to the tavern by herself, LeFou invited her over for a meal and Gaston pulled her on his lap. That was the last time she went to the tavern by herself. If she went to the tavern, Cyan would take the circus' strongman Phillip with her. No one dared to come near him because of his ugly face and large muscles.

"Are we almost there?" Agathe asked. She was starting to get hungry, but she didn't want to be rude and ask if they could hurry.

"We are almost there, little lady." Grandpa Apple answered. He turned his head over to her. "When we get to camp, we can eat delicious meals and you can eat some of my famous candied apples. They'll tickle your taste buds."

"They sound tasty." Agathe smiled a little.

"Oh, they are. Valjean makes sure we have a lot of apples so Grandpa Apple can make them. It's fun to try and steal one while he's still cooking." Cyan explained. She started to laugh when she saw Grandpa Apple glare at her and sputters his words. He had enough strength to give her a good scolding which made the donkey uneasy. It got nervous when Grandpa Apple stood up on its back.

"Don't listen to that child! She'll get you in trouble!" The old man angrily waves his cane at Cyan. Valjean tried to calm the donkey, but it had enough of its rider's loud voice.

Agathe started to laugh when Grandpa Apple tried to whack the young lady with his cane, but he ended up falling off the donkey. The donkey had shook its back to get the old man off. It didn't seem to bother Grandpa Apple because he started to laugh when he realized what happened. Agathe watched Cyan grabbed Grandpa Apple by his arm and helped him up to his feet. He embraced the young lady into a hug before he put pieces of grass in Cyan's hair. It took two hours to finally get them to calm down because Grandpa Apple ran across the fields to get away from Cyan. She had grass in her hair and she was determined to get revenge on the old man. Agathe and Valjean just waited on the path until the ring leader called out for them to come back so they could get home before it got dark.

Agathe noticed how tired Grandpa Apple was when he made his way back to them, but she saw how wide his smile was. He was muddy from the shoes to his knees and his cane had pieces of flower petals stuck from the mud. Cyan's dress was grass stained and muddy again from being chased in the fields and she just laughed it off saying she was having fun. Most of the young ladies in Villeneuve would be crying or ashamed of getting their dress dirty. And here was the 'silly' girl Cyan just laughing about how dirty she got just from running in the fields. Cyan was defiantly odd, but Agathe already liked her better than the ladies in the village.

The sun was setting by the time they reached the camp. Agathe saw a small farmhouse by a small stream and the ten wagons parked across the property. Each wagon was covered with colorful canvas cloths of blue, red, green, and purple. The farmhouse itself was a two-story building with a couple small square windows dotted on the sides, a large round front door, and a single round window on the top of the house. She noticed there was a small fire pit with a large black pot sitting above the fire. Cyan helped Agathe down from Poppy before she went ahead and looked around the property. She looked so confused because she was expecting everything to be loud when they got home.

"Where is everyone? Normally this place is flocked with animals and our staff." Cyan explained. She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to figure out what was going on. She didn't notice that behind here were prying eyes from different spots.

"SURPRISE!" The staff screamed and jumped out of their hiding spots. Some of the members jumped from the roof of the house, popping out of empty barrels, poking their heads out of the wagons, and swinging from the treetops. Cyan was startled from the screams and she actually jumped back from them.

"Holy father of Mary, don't do that!" Cyan yelled, clenching where heart would be.

"We scared ya! We scared ya!" Jacque laughed hard as he jumped from his hiding spot in the trees.

"Do you know what today is?" Valjean asked as he made his way over with Agathe and Grandpa Apple.

"Um, September twenty-third?" Cyan guessed.

"Yes, but besides that." Satin Sally said. She had a medium white box in her arms.

"Is it my day to cook?" Cyan guessed again.

"Do you want your birthday to be our death day?!" Rebecca yelled. The crowd became afraid at thought of Cyan's cooking and some of the members even started to recite Bible verses to ward off "the evil that lives in Cyan's cooking."

"Today's my birthday?" Cyan asked.

"Yes, child! Why would we go through the trouble of making you dinner?" Grandpa Apple asked, walking past the crowd toward the fire pit.

"Because you either did something wrong or you know I'm not angry when I'm full." Cyan laughed when Rebecca punched her right arm. She handed the animal tamer the peacock chick even though it didn't stop Rebecca from punching her again for laughing. Satin Sally smiled at the girls' antics and turned her attention to Agathe.

"Mi amore, who is this woman?" Satin Sally gestured to Agathe.

"This is Agathe. She's the village's beggar and she needed a place to stay." Valjean explained, taking his hat off before his wife. "Cyan and I offered to let her stay and eat with us tonight."

"And you didn't think to ask me first?!" Satin Sally screeched. Everyone knew if she was angry, it was best to stay away.

"Ma cherie, she is homeless. The villagers didn't try and help her before we came to her." Valjean told his wife, taking her left hand. Satin Sally's eyes widened when he mentioned homeless. She walked up to Agathe and saw how dirty she was on her face and her clothes.

"Are you hungry, señora?" Satin Sally asked.

"Very much, miss.." Agathe answered and looked up at her. "I'm sorry if I'm ruining your evening, but I was invited here.."

"No, no, no, it's not your fault." Satin Sally took off her own cloak and wrapped it around Agathe. It surprised the beggar because she didn't expect anyone to do this for her. The villagers would not give her clothes unless it was the village's chaplain Père Robert. Satin Sally's cloak was black and it felt warm when it wrapped around Agathe's body. "If you can go over to where the old man is, we can get you some food and something cold to drink."

"I've told you before I ain't old, woman!" Grandpa Apple yelled from his spot by the fire.

"Oh, shut your mouth, you old badger!" She yelled back at him. Agathe had a small smile on her face as she made her way to the fire. Satin Sally looked back at Cyan who was helping Valjean bring Poppy and the donkey into the stable near the farmhouse. "And now for la cumpleañera!"

The woman made her way over to her husband and adopted daughter just as they were setting the animals in the stable for the night. She tapped Cyan on her left shoulder, offered the present, and smiled when Cyan took it fast. Cyan pulled the top off the box and saw a simple white nightdress inside. It had puffy long sleeves, the neckline was v-shaped, and it looked like it could go a few inches above the knee. It wasn't anything special or the outfit she had her eye on, but Cyan saw potential in the simple design and she couldn't wait to it out.

"I'm sorry, Cyan. We didn't have enough money to get you the outfit you wanted. Maybe we can get it next time we have a little more money." Satin Sally explained. She was sad because the circus hasn't made a lot of money due to the villagers. She and Valjean knew Cyan had wanted a Arabian outfit so she could look the part when she tells her Prince Ali story to an audience. But, the village didn't carry designs for that attire because an outfit like that was looked indecent.

"No, it's alright. I love it." Cyan reassured her and hugged her. "I can change it."

"Cyan, what kind of change are you thinking?" Satin Sally rubbed the bridge of her nose. It doesn't surprise her anymore if this odd child wants to alter her clothes to get the look she wanted.

"Maybe I can make my own outfit. If, my favorite mother, figures I can borrow a few of your old accessories." Cyan said, smiling to the Spanish woman. _Please, say yes. Please, say yes!_ She thought to herself. The woman only shook her head and smiled a little.

"Flattery will not get you nowhere, mi rubí." Satin Sally waved a finger at her. "But hurry on inside and pick out whatever you want. But, don't take my jewelry alone!" She scooted Cyan toward the house.

Cyan ran into the house while her adopted parents walked over to the fire pit. Everyone was pulling up empty barrels, small logs, and chairs to sit by the fire while Grandpa Apple checked on the food. Agathe looked around her at the members of the circus and was surprised to see how many people were unfortunate in their life. The circus has thirty-seven members: twenty-one were the men and sixteen were the women. She saw eleven of the men and ten of the women were different from the other members. One man was missing an left arm, another didn't have a left eye, and one of the men had a grotesque face with a large muscular body. The eleven were either missing different limbs or were physically different. She learned the strongman Phillip was actually sixteen, and his body actually grew faster than the boy as he got older. So he looked like he was in his early thirties, but he was really barely in his twenties. He was a sweet boy who kept asking if she needed another drink or if she needed a blanket.

Agathe felt sorry for the ten women who were different from the others. She saw one young blonde girl had a burns around her left eye and her eye was narrowed from the burns. She was only thirteen when her mother put hot coals on her face because she believed her stepfather loved her more than her. Another woman had three fingers missing from both her hands because of her abusive husband hacked them off with an ax. She was also one of elephant caretakers.

"Many of the men lost their limbs from the war." Grandpa Apple explained to her. "They had nowhere to go and we took them in."

"The women had no one to support them." Valjean added. "In this society, people will not give you help if you are different. If you didn't follow their rules, you were an outcast."

"So they work for you if they had no where to go?" Agathe asked.

"We offer shelter, food, and whatever money we could spare. It is their choice if they want to come with us. We had maybe seven leave once they got what they needed. Everyone you see is here has stayed with us for many years."

"Do you have problems with any of your staff?" Agathe wondered if Valjean was a person who didn't step up if there was trouble in the circus.

"Yes. We had a gentleman trying to 'seduce' our women to his bed and we kicked him out." Valjean set his hat in front of them and waved his hand over the hole. A white rabbit poked its head out of the hat and hopped over to Phillip for a carrot. Agathe blinked at the animal and wondered how was the rabbit in his hat. "We do not tolerate people who want take a person's trust and mangle it for their gain."

Agathe only nodded at him. She saw how different the circus was from the villagers because if the unfortunate came into the village, they would get some support from Père Robert, but the villagers would be brutal on the person. They probably wouldn't survive in the village because of social differences and the gossip.

"Look at that beautiful gypsy girl!" Jacque shouted. It interrupted Agathe's thoughts and it did make her mad until she saw what he was shouting about.

Cyan was walking toward the fire pit and she wore what looked like a white, puffy long-sleeved blouse, a teal sash that wrapped around her stomach, and a dark blue sarong. She also wore a dark blue ribbon tied around her head, her dark red hair was down and it reached to her lower back. She was also barefoot and she didn't seem to care about the dirt on her feet. She blushed a little at Jacque's comment and tried to hide her embarrassment by looking away.

"Come on, dance for us!" Rebecca yelled. She tossed a tambourine at her.

"You aren't making this any easier! I cannot dance!" Cyan shouted back, catching the tambourine.

"We want to see you dance!" Grandpa Apple shouted. He was chuckling at the poor young lady's predicament. "If you dance, you can eat!"

Agathe saw Cyan tilt her head back and groaned frustrated. It seemed like nothing would persuade the group so Cyan started to hit the tambourine on her hips. She looked unsure about the whole thing until Valjean shouted "Come watch the lovely lady of France! Come see Cyan dance!"Only then did she started to sway her body, starting to move her legs more to the beat of her tambourine. She would arch her back, twirl around, and her sarong would float around when she twirled. Soon she got cocky, did back flips toward Grandpa Apple, and grabs his hat to pull it down across the face and jumped over Cole. Agathe was just shocked to the scene. If any of the young girls did this kind of dance, they would be scolded by a public outrage. But here in this entourage of misfits, this girl was being cheered to continue on with her dance. This group didn't care about her clothes or what she was doing because she was having fun.

Cyan continued on with her dance until the peacock chick escaped Rebecca's grip and ran over to her. It ran under her feet as she tried to maneuver away from the bird. She tripped over her own feet trying to dance around the chick and she fell on her side. She glared at the fluffy chick but it only rubbed against her face. Some of the members started to laugh at Cyan tripping and Jacque fell off his log from laughing so hard. Cyan sat up and shook her head as an attempt to get the grass out off her.

"I think the bird wants to stay with you, lass!" Grandpa Apple laughed.

"It probably thinks you're its mother!" Rebecca told her as she walked over to help her up.

"Lucky me." Cyan sarcastically said. After Rebecca helped her up, she walked over to the group and sat down by Valjean. The chick followed her and rested on her feet when she sat down on a log. "Monsieur Valjean, one day I want to use that magic hat of yours. I think it'll help the audience imagine my stories if I can use the hat's illusions."

"My dear Cadence, this hat has more than just illusions. It can only work if you believe in yourself and have an open mind." Valjean smiled when Cyan pouted. "Now, it's time for my gift to you."

The ring leader reached into his hat and pulled out a small, dark blue heart shaped locket on a silver chain. On the front of the locket had a small gold rose in the center. Cyan stared in shock at the locket and looked over at Valjean. He smiled and reassured her that it wasn't all. He pressed the top of the locket before he opened it and it started to play a small tune. They could see the tiny gears move against another gear and the mechanisms turning in order to play the music.

" _How does a moment last forever? How can a story never die? It is love we must hold onto. Never easy, but we try."_ Valjean softly sang with the music. _"Sometimes our happiness is captured, somehow a time and place stands still. Love lives on inside our hearts. And always will."_

"I thought you forgot that lullaby." Cyan whispered

"I wouldn't forget the lullaby that helped you sleep at night." He replied back and closed the locket. "I never forgotten your father's lullaby. It will also play a different tune if you gently push down on the top of the locket. It took me a month to have someone make this and get the music just right. Take good care of it, Cadence."

"I will!" Cyan said, smiling when he put it around her neck.

For the next two hours, everyone chatted and ate the paella that Satin Sally made in the pot. Agathe just ate her food and watched the circus interact with each other. Rebecca was teasing Cyan about how ironic it was to have a peacock liking her. Cyan try and take away her bowl which ended Rebecca screaming it was her food. Grandpa Apple drank up the wine with Jacque and it made Satin Sally pick up the tired Cole inside the house. Once the two men passed out from the drinking, Valjean doused the fire and Cyan took Agathe inside the house. The house was bigger inside because there wasn't a lot of furniture until they reached the rooms. There was three rooms: one was Valjean and Satin Sally's room, one was Cole's room, and the last was Agathe's room. Agathe's room had a small bed with a couple heavy gray blankets and a pillow.

"Sorry if it's small. This was here when we first moved in." Cyan explained and fluffed up the pillow.

"It's fine. But where do you sleep? Do you sleep outside?" Agathe sat on the bed and looked over at Cyan.

"Oh, I sleep upstairs in the attic. I don't mind since I can get a little peace and quiet until the others want to be rowdy outside." Cyan told her and set the pillow back on the bed.

"So your name is Cadence?" Agathe asked, not taking her eyes off her. She noticed Valjean was the only one who called her that name while everyone called her Cyan.

"That's my real name, but I'm called Cyan around here." Cyan nodded. "Only Valjean calls me that even though everyone else calls me Cyan."

"What do you always wish for, Cadence."

"How about make Grandpa Apple less obnoxious and cranky?"

"I CAN STILL HEAR YOU!" The women flinched when the Grandpa Apple suddenly shouted at them. They thought he was still asleep until they looked out the window to see he was still asleep. He was probably sleep-talking.

"I don't think all the magic in the world can fix him." Agathe shook her head.

"Darn it." Cyan sighed and tried to think. Well, there was one thing I wanted to do. But you might think it's silly."

"I will not judge." Agathe shook her head again.

"When I was a little girl, my father would tell me about all the balls he was invited to. He said it can be fun once you find someone to dance with you. He told me when I'm older, he could take me to a ball." Cyan explained and looked up at the night sky. "Only...he never got that chance. He died and my mother sold me to this circus. I love everyone here, but I want to go to a royal ball."

Cyan looked down when Agathe grabbed her right hand and looked at her face. Her dark eyes met with Cyan's bluish green eyes like she was searching something in her. The beggar wouldn't let go when she tried to pull back. When Agathe saw what she was looking for, she reached behind her back

"If you want to escape, eat one piece before you go to bed" Agathe told her and handed her a small red bag. The bag could fit in the palm of Cyan's hand.

"What is this?" Cyan asked and opened the bag. Five red sphere candies fell into her hand when she shook it. "Candy?"

"But, when you go to sleep, put this on." Agathe handed her a simple white masquerade eye mask.

"Okay?" Cyan hesitantly took the mask.

"Be careful what you wear before you go to sleep." Agathe added. "Good night, Cadence."

Cyan looked at her confused as she took a lit candle, got up and walked out of Agathe's room. She tells her good night and closed her door. She leaned over at the door to listen in on her, but all she heard was the bed moving and then silence. Cyan made her way up to Cole's room and opened the door to see the boy sound asleep in bed. She tip-toed over to his side and lightly kissed the top of his head. He shifted a little in his sleep before he relaxed. Cyan silently walked over to the ladder by his closet and opened the door going into the attic. After ascending, she walked over to her bed and set the candlestick by her bed. ' _I'm too tired to get undressed. Well, this is still my nightdress. I just added a few things so I think its safe to sleep in.'_ Cyan thought to herself and covered her mouth when she yawned. She looked at candies in her hand and popped one in her mouth. It tasted sweet, but it had a bitter aftertaste when she swallowed it. She put the rest back in the small bag and puts it under her pillow.

By her pillow was a small doll with whitish blonde hair and icy blue button eyes. It wore a small puffy white shirt and black pants that Cyan had had Satin Sally make for the doll. It was laying its head on the pillow and it fell on its side when she laid down on the bed. She positioned it on its back and kissed its cheek.

"Good night, Prince Ali." Cyan whispered to her doll. She placed the white mask over her eyes and pulled the covers to her. "Pleasant dreams."

Cyan felt her bed sink from her weight and her eyelids became very heavy. She started to hear a harpsichord play as she started to fall asleep. Cyan wanted to open the window and yell at the person to stop playing because it was late at night, but she was too tired to get up.

 _'I'll fix this when I wake up.'_ She thought to herself before dozing off.

* * *

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteriods!

So we learn a little more about the circus members, but we also learn Cyan cannot dance. Please imagine Esmeralda doing her dance in the festival of fools to help you imagine what Cyan is doing. Her mask is like one of those marks that only go around the eyes.

Translations: cumpleañera means birthday girl

Mi rubi means my ruby

I only own Cyan, my version of Prince Ali, and the circus.

Disney owns Beauty and the Beast

 _Please no mean comments or flames!_


	9. First night: Cyan's first ball

The only thing Cyan could hear was the harpsichord noises and it began to irritate her. It was normal for some circus members to play music late at night. The camp was far away from the village so the villagers couldn't hear the music playing unless someone played hard on the instruments and the last time they did that, one of the old ladies threatened to have the 'misfits' thrown in the village jail if they didn't stop playing the music. However, they rather be in jail than wake up Cyan in the middle of the night. Cyan rubbed her eyes as she started to stir. ' _I'm going to kill the idiot who's playing that music!'_ She thought to herself.

She suddenly noticed how hard her bed had become and wondered if the bed finally collapsed since the bed-frame was starting to get old. Cyan felt her blankets warm her skin and it almost lulled her back to sleep. Honestly she couldn't remember the last time she was this warm. In truth, she didn't want to get up just yet. It felt like she was just closed her eyes and the circus was just playing their music again. Then, the music stopped and it was once again silent. Cyan sighed in relief and slowly tried to get comfortable again. Then, she heard small pitter pattering coming across the room. It wasn't loud like the harpsichord was, but it was loud enough for her to acknowledge the sound. ' _It's probably the mice again. I'll take care of them later. I wanna sleep a few more minutes.'_ She yawned. Suddenly, she felt something slimy move across her face and she coughed when it got into her mouth and around her lips.

"Blech! Stop, stop, stop!" Cyan shouted, shaking her head trying to get away from whatever was licking her face. The attacker kept following the direction her face went so she couldn't escape the licks. Cyan felt the tongue was small and slimier than a human tongue so she grabbed hold of the attacker. She opened her eyes a little to see a small dog with light and dark brown fur. ' _How did this dog get into my room-Wait a minute, this isn't my room. And we don't even own a harpsichord!'_ Cyan thought to herself and quickly sat up. When she looked around, all she saw was a white room but everything was blurry to her. Cyan felt light-headed all of a sudden and she set the dog down so she could rub her eyes more.

"Frou Frou! Frou Frou, where are you?" She heard a female voice call out. The dog barked happily and Cyan heard heavy footsteps coming to her. "Oh, mademoiselle. Why are you on the ground?"

When Cyan was finally able to see, she looked up to see two people in front of her. One of them were an African American woman in a large, light blue and yellow gown. The middle of her gown was a golden fabric with small tassels across the upper-part of her chest, a brighter gold thread zing-zagging across the middle of the gown, and she had a white, delicate fabric coming from inside her sleeves. The bottom of her dress had white flower like fabric going down the gold fabric. She had white makeup around her eyes, bright red lips, and a black beauty mark under her left eye. The woman had dangling gold and pearl earrings, two pearl necklaces, a diamond bracelet on her right wrist, and a collar necklace with twenty-five diamonds dangling from it. Her hair was positioned up, curled up into abstract curls, and Cyan couldn't tell if the woman had blonde hair with white makeup put onto her curls or if her hair was white with yellow makeup. Cyan noticed that the woman had five small snowflake clips in different parts of her hair. The dog wags its tail at the sight of the woman and wiggled out of Cyan's grip. It barked happily as it pawed over to the woman.

"Frou Frou, you found a friend!" The woman bent down to pet the dog's head then she turned her attention to Cyan. "Mademoiselle, are you alright?"

"Y-Yes...ma'am." Cyan struggled to speak from her throat being suddenly dry.

"Oh, your throat is parched. Let us fix that." She helped Cyan up to her feet before she walked off.

Cyan heard women giggling and when she turned to see who else was in the room, she froze seeing how large the room really was. There was five chandeliers hanging on the left and right side of the room, ten sets of small stairs going up from the floor around the room, a couple sets of mirrors on the walls, and on the side were servants in black suits playing either a harp or a violin. The floor had white tiles, but she couldn't see the middle of the floor because there was forty women on the ballroom floor. Cyan noticed none of the women had a male dance partner and they were all staring at a huge gold throne. The throne was in front of a large glass door and sitting in the giant throne was a man, but Cyan couldn't see what he looked like because she was in the back of the room.

 _'Oh, God, this is a harem! How did I get here?!'_ Cyan screamed in her head. The last thing she remembered was telling Agathe she wanted to go to a royal ball. She may not have seen a formal dance, but this doesn't look like one to her at all. Cyan looked at a nearby mirror and saw she was wearing her makeshift gypsy outfit with the white mask over her eyes. At first, she wondered why she needed to wear the mask. However, she started to think Agathe had a reason for Cyan to wear the mask so she left it alone. At first she started to wonder how to she got here until she realized how dry her throat was. It was scratchy and made it hard for her talk. Cyan looked over when the woman came back with a cup of water.

"Here, mademoiselle, drink it up." The woman said, handing her the cup. Cyan grabbed it instantly and drank it fast. The water soothed her dry throat and it was easier to talk.

"Merci, madam." Cyan replied. Her voice didn't sound rough now that she had something to drink.

"Why were you laying on the floor? Did you feel dizzy?" The woman asked and felt her forehead.

Cyan wondered how she was going to explain it. She looked at every direction except at the woman as she tried to think of a way to explain her reason for being here. ' _Okay, what's it going to be? "Hi, my name is Cyan and I am from the Golden Dream Circus. I was brought here somehow while I was asleep in a farmhouse near Villeneuve." No, that's too short. "Hi, I'm a circus performer who was brought here in my sleep and I guess someone dragged me to this place." I don't even know how I got here! I might be teased for being in a circus, but it's worth a try.'_ Cyan took a deep breath as she prepared to explain herself.

"N-No, you see I was-"

"Are you sure you want to go out in this outfit?" She asked again gesturing to Cyan's outfit. Suddenly her clothes were more important than the reason Cyan was here. Cyan did notice the forty women wore large, fancy peach and white dresses and their hairs were up in curls. Their dresses made Cyan's look like rags, which was true since it just a nightgown with borrowed pieces of fabric from Satin Sally. It wasn't the most appropriate choice of clothes for a royal ball, but Cyan didn't actually think she was going to one tonight.

"Well, I-"

"Mademoiselle, you cannot go out like that. We can fix you up and you will be a princess for the evening." The woman explained. She sounded excited just from the thought of giving Cyan different look for the ball. Her eyes shined with determination even though it made Cyan nervous.

"There's not enough to time to fix her." A gruff voice called at the women. When they turned around, a older gentleman was making his way over to the women.

The man had graying hair that curled on the sides of his head and a ponytail with a black bow. He wore a gold jacket with golden shoulder cuffs, his sleeves were pulled back and buttoned, and a white stem pattern from his lapels, the back, and the end of his jacket. He wore a white dress shirt because the fabric came out of the jacket sleeves, a red vest that had a swirling stem pattern, short dark gold pants, white knee shocks, and black shoes with a square gold buckle on the center of the shoes. Cyan could tell he was tired and stressed about the night because he kept looking at the pocket watch inside his vest pocket.

"The dance was supposed to start five minutes ago. His Highness wants to start now." The man told them before he turned his attention to Cyan. "Go join in with the other ladies. And hurry!"

Cyan felt her blood turn cold when the gentleman grabs her left arm and lead her toward the ladies on the ballroom floor. Cyan was the odd girl in Villeneuve but now she's the black sheep of the ball. Especially since Cyan couldn't dance. A gypsy dance is easy because a person can make up their own dance and with the right outfit, it can look exotic and bewitch the audience's minds. But Cyan can't waltz to save her life. She was never taught how to dance when her father died and the only dances she's ever saw was Satin Sally's Latin dance. Now Cyan regrets not asking Valjean to teach her how to dance.

"But monsieur, I can't dance!" Cyan tried to tell him. He only pulled her between two of the darker-skinned ladies and straightened Cyan's sleeves.

"You'll be fine. Just restrain yourself from stepping on." The gentleman explains. "And please, don't make the prince mad. We are already going to suffer for starting the ball late." He quickly takes his leave; attending to other little projects that catch his eye.

 _'A prince?!'_ Cyan shouted in her head. Now it made sense why forty women was in the room: they are trying to impress royalty. Cyan wondered how many of these young women were from wealthy families and how many of these women were like the Bimbettes. That was women who will throw away their dignity and dress themselves in ridiculous clothes just to attract the attention of a wealthy or handsome man. They would give their souls just to have the man kiss them and give their last penny just for a passionate night.

When the servants started to play the instruments, the women curtsied at the man in front of them before they faced each other. Cyan's partner looked at her with disgust. Her partner saw Cyan's outfit and then she scrunched her nose when she saw Cyan was barefoot. Her feet were still covered in dirt and she had grass stuck between her toes. She refused to get near her because she afraid of getting dirty if she even touched Cyan.

"Did you actually come here like this?!"

"Um, yes?" Cyan answered. She narrowed her eyes when the lady shook her head at her.

"Do you realize you are tracking dirt with those nasty feet?!"

"Do you realize how much your face is going to sag if you put on more makeup?" Cyan retaliated.

The woman gasped in shock and glared at her. The other women around them heard their argument and soon they stopped dancing to see what was going on. Cyan looked around as the women circled around her and started to whisper to each other about how horrid Cyan looked in the rags she wore. All Cyan could hear was "Why would the prince invite a girl like that?", "Does she go out in public like this? She should be whipped for her actions!", and "That outfit is inappropriate. I wouldn't wear those rags!" It made Cyan mad because this outfit was all the circus could afford. She only borrowed fabric from her adopted mother and used the birthday gift the circus gave her to make the fabrics stand out. These women didn't understand the value of taking a simple thing and turn it into a work of art. Cyan wished she was only picked on for her bad dancing. She hated when people made fun of the clothes her circus family bought her.

"Aren't you a little black sheep." Cyan heard a male voice said. She looked up when two of the women moved away for a young man to come up to her. "Are you a gypsy or can't your family afford to get you a real dress."

The women around them started to giggle while the servants were feeling sorry for Cyan. The servants continued to play music, but the music was softer so they could hear what was going on. Cyan would've took his comment as offensive, but she wasn't paying attention to him. The young man wore a black and dark gold jacket with a regal pattern on the sides of the jacket, the sleeves had a starry pattern, and he wore a vest with similar colors to the jacket. He also wore a white dress shirt tucked in his vest, black pants and black boots with a golden sole. He wore a white long wig that had three curls on each side of his face covered his natural hair; the wig was tied in a big black bow, and the ends of the wig cascaded over his shoulders. His face was covered with a ridiculous amount of white powder, blue eye shadow around his eyes to make it look like he had a mask. His lips were colored bright, strawberry red, and he had a makeup mole under his right eye and under his nose on the left side.

In both the circus and society, colors represent emotion or an aspect for a person's personality. Red would mean love or danger. Blue would represent confidence, intelligence, or something cheery. Black sometimes represents power or fear. And everyone knew white meant pure. But this man didn't look pure or loving. He was almost like a peacock; always preening, always showing off its feathers, and pompous.

"Good Lord, what happened to your face?!" Cyan screeched. The music suddenly stopped when she said that. The man's eyes started to twitch in anger and he towered over Cyan.

"Do you know who am I?!" The man shouted in her face.

"A clown?"

"I am a PRINCE!" The man was seething with rage at this point. Many of the guests started to back away from the two.

"You sure don't look like one! You look like a angry clown!" Cyan shook her head.

"This is supposed to enhance my beauty! Do you not understand what true beauty is, you stupid girl?!"

"It's enhancing anything but beauty. All that makeup can't cover up your ugly attitude and your arrogance!"

Cyan wasn't going to back down just because he was a prince. He was one of the worst princes she's ever encountered. She didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or to slap him right there. The prince was almost like Gaston except he wasn't going after her and it gave her more of a challenge. Cyan wasn't going to run away from this fight unless they throw her out.

"Throw her out of my castle!" The prince yelled at a nearby servant from behind his back.

"B-But, your Highness, it's the middle of the night. Are you sure you want to throw this young lady out without a way home?" The servant nervously replied.

"I don't care! Get this cretin out of my sight!"

"Well, that's fine by me! You're an insult to my eyes anyway!" Cyan yelled. She may have wanted to go to a royal ball, but she was beginning to wonder if it was worth putting up with this pompous prince.

"What did you say?!" He shouted at her.

"You heard me! I'll show myself out the door!" Cyan turned around and made her way to the exit. Some servants were wheeling in drinks and food for the guests as she walked past them.

"Don't you turn your back on me!" She heard the prince scream at her. He took a harsh intake of air. "This is why women of your kind aren't fit for this society!"

 _'Oh, that's it!'_ Cyan thought to herself and stopped in her path. The world was cruel to her when her mother treated Cyan like a doll until she was sold to the Golden Dream Circus. The circus help her see the world wasn't just cruel to her; so many people suffer if they are different from everyone. She's seen wealthy women laugh at unfortunate girls who struggle to survive in their standards and Cyan refuses to be a doll again. She wasn't going to be like the women in the room or the Bimbettes in Villeneuve.

"Listen closely, you royal pain in the neck. I've seen the women your kind have in your arms. I'm the ONLY real woman you've ever met." Cyan explained to him and turned around to face him.

A small chalice full of wine was thrown at her face and the chalice fell in front of her feet. The drink soaked into the top part of her outfit and Cyan coughed when some got into her mouth. It burned her throat a little. The prince had a sly smirk on his face and he crossed his arms. There was a servant by him holding a tray of chalices and the servant was shocked at what the prince did. Everyone in the room was starting to get uneasy when they saw the prince throw that chalice at Cyan. Cyan's blood began to boil when the prince's expression didn't change.

"You...egotistical..." Cyan hisses, rubbing the wine off her face.

"You spoiled..."

"Disrespectful!" Cyan shouted as she walked toward the prince. The ladies were starting to get scared and they had actually moved away from the ballroom floor and up the small stairs to where the musicians were. The servants that were handling the food were also with the ladies because they didn't want to get in the way of the prince and Cyan's wrath. It was just the two on the floor.

"Deluded!" The prince yelled.

"Pretentious, pompous!"

"High and mighty!"

"Self-centered, untrustworthy, ungrateful, impossible, insufferable!" Cyan screamed at him and stopped in front of him.

"At least I'm not repressed!" He retaliated and put his hands on his hips. He leaned to get in front of her face.

"REPRESSED!? I'll show you "repressed!"" Cyan angrily shouts and grabbed his vest. She pulled a nearby cart that had a bowl of cranberry sauce, pulled on the prince's vest, and his face went into the bowl.

Everyone gasped in horror when Cyan pulled their prince in the cranberry sauce. The prince jolted his head back from the bowl and he started to cough because he had some of the food in his nose. Most of his white powder were in the cranberry sauce and his wig was starting to turn a little red from food. He glared at Cyan who was just laughing at him. He grabbed a bowl and shoved it into her face. Cyan backed up about two feet from him as she pulled the bowl off her face. She wiped the food from her face and licked the side of her lips. It was chocolate pudding and it was really sweet and rich. But, it wasn't very thick like it should be and that was when she realized there wasn't any custard in the pudding.

"Pudding without custard!? You savage!" Cyan screeched before she ducked when he threw a small plates full of food at her. This went on for about an hour and the guests were starting to get fearful of being hit with food as the prince kept throwing food at Cyan. She kept dodging the food even though the end of her sarong was stained from the food. ' _This prince has a temper as worse as his aim. He keeps aiming for my clothes.'_ Cyan thought to herself and she ducked behind his throne. She overheard someone walk across the room to the prince.

"Sire, there's someone who wants to see you."

"TELL HIM I AM BUSY!" She heard the prince shout.

"I'm afraid it can't wait. He says he wants to speak with you and won't leave until he does." The servant explained. Suddenly, the room was filled with trumpet fanfare, drums pounding, and the scattered foot noises. Cyan didn't come out of her hiding spot even though she started to get curious of what was going on.

"Make way for Prince Ali!"

* * *

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteriods for helping me fix this chapter!

I honestly wish Prince Adam had more roles in the movie. I love how the Beast looks in the movie, but I wanted to see how Prince Adam acted before he was cursed.

So Cyan has met Prince Adam in her dreams, but he doesn't know who she is because of the mask.

I only own Cyan, my version of Prince Ali, and the circus.

Disney owns Beauty and the Beast

 _Please no mean comments or flames!_


	10. First night: The Prince's rival

_'PRINCE ALI?!'_ Cyan shouted in her head. She only knew one Prince Ali and it was something very close to her. Prince Ali wasn't just a character in Cyan's story; it was also the name she gave her doll. A stuffed doll she got on her eighth birthday from the circus. Cyan found that doll in a toy shop in Venice, Italy and she got it for only one euro because no one wanted it. She would ask Satin Sally to make different outfits for the doll because Cyan said Ali was a prince. Cyan is now twenty years old and she still has that doll in her room. She was surprised there was someone named Prince Ali and she wanted to see what kind of person he was. Cyan peeked from behind the throne to see her host talking to a different servant.

"Unfortunately, his highness cannot through the front door so he will be showing up at the glass door." A servant explained. This servant was tan skinned man and he wore an ivory vest, baggy cream pants, and he wore black jutti shoes. He had a big round nose and short shaggy black hair. Cyan thought he was really goofy looking and he didn't look intimidating. The man looked familiar to her, but she couldn't think of a reason why.

"Ahem, is there a reason why you are behind this throne?" Cyan heard someone whisper from behind her. She spun around only to have her mouth covered by a white gloved hand. "Shhh. It's alright, Cadence Antebellum. I'm a friend. Don't you remember me?"

Cyan froze when she heard her real name. There is only a handful of people knew her real name and that was Valjean, Satin Sally, Cole, Grandpa Apple, Rebecca, Jacque, and her doll. Cyan looked up at the owner of the hand and she froze in place. The person was a fair skinned young man with whitish blonde hair and icy blue eyes. He wore a white puffy shirt with three gold buttons on the right side, black pants, a long red cape, and gold jutti shoes. The young man had small medals on the left side of his pants and one of them was a silver medal with a purple ribbon underneath. Her spine shivered when he caressed the skin under her mask with his fingers. The young man leaned into her right ear and she felt his lips close to her ear.

"Let me help you win you a chance with this tyrant. Please, follow my lead." He softly whispered in her ear. He pulled his head away from Cyan's ear and lifted her chin with his right index finger. For some reason, this person looked really familiar to Cyan even though her mind was trying to remember who he was. He looked like someone she last saw before she fell asleep because there was only one person she knew that has ash-blonde hair.

"And who are you?!" Cyan heard the prince yell from behind them.

Cyan turned her head over to the other prince's voice and saw he was glaring at the young man. The prince's face was red from the cranberry sauce Cyan shoved his face in, his white dress shirt was stained pink from the food setting in, and she noticed both of his hands were starting to clench. ' _Is this guy jealous? A few seconds ago, he was mad at me and trying to bombard me with food!'_ Cyan thought to herself and she found it amusing to see how fast this prince changed his emotions. The ash-blonde prince walked from behind the throne with Cyan's left arm wrapped around his right arm.

"My name is Prince Ali Ababwa. I've traveled a long distance and I was hoping to ask for directions and a quick dinner. My servants and I are weary from our journey." The ash-blonde prince introduced himself and bowed at the other prince.

The forty women saw Cyan's escort and ten of them started to swoon over him because Ali was handsome and surprisingly well-dressed than their prince was. Ali wasn't over dressed, he didn't wear makeup to overshadow his natural looks, and he didn't wear a wig to show off his superiority. The prince overheard his guests compliment Ali about his clothes and how alluring he was and they also complained why a filthy girl like Cyan was even near this handsome stranger. Ali noticed the women in the room and he was surprised to see this many women in one room. Four of the women started waving at him and the rest of the women were giggling when they saw Ali was paying attention to them. The prince watched as Ali bowed his head to the ladies, says "Good evening, ladies," and even took one of the ladies' hands and kisses her knuckle. This made the young lady profusely blush and she almost fell to her knees. Ali Ababwa was a threat in the prince's eyes because of how he treated his guests.

"I'm afraid Prince Abubu-" The prince started to speak. He walked up in front of Ali only for Ali to bow at him in respect.

"Ababwa." Ali corrected him.

"Whatever! You cannot just barge in and expect me to give you shelter for the night!" The prince said.

"I wasn't going to ask for lodgings." Ali replied and shook his head as he straightened up.

"Then why are you still here?!" The prince shouted. He was struggling to hold back his temper and his servants watched in fear of their master starting a fight against another prince of a different country. They were silently praying that he drop his pride and stop yelling at Ali.

"I saw this young woman hiding behind your throne and I realized she was an old friend of mine." Ali explained, twirling Cyan around. "You see, she's my rosa bianca."

"You're what..?" The prince asked. Rosa bianca meant white rose in Italian and he couldn't wrap his head around why Ali would associate this poor, rude girl as something like that. The prince didn't believe this girl was anything of beauty because of how she was dressed and how she hid her face in the white mask around her eyes.

"You humble a poor girl such as I, o' wise and powerful majesty." Cyan giggled as she was twirled around Ali and pulled back into his embrace.

"You grace me with your presence, my lady. Your status barely hides your personality. You maybe poor in wealth, but you are rich in my eyes." Ali told her and kisses her on her forehead.

The prince glanced back at his guests when he heard a few of the ladies awe from the sickly sweet moment. He rolled his eyes when he heard one of them talking about how lucky the girl was to know such a gentleman. The prince's servants watched as their master being inconsiderate to the fact Prince Ali was showing common courtesy. That was a something their master failed to understand despite his expensive education. They started to wonder how Ali treats his own servants and they got their answer when the goofy looking servant ran to his master's side. He was carrying a cup of water and he offered it to Ali.

"Master! Master, are you thirsty? Here, I bring you a drink of water." The servant told Ali.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you for thinking of me, Antai." Ali reassured him. "But, you seem tired from running. Why don't you have it?"

"Oh, you are a kind soul, effendi! I do feel parched in my throat." Antai smiled and drank up the water. Most of the servants envied how well Antai was being treated by Ali. If it was their master, he would yell at them and probably toss the glass of water off to the side.

"We were in the middle of a dance." The prince said. He hoped that this would make Prince Ali go away.

"It looks like you two were having an argument." Ali said. He looked down at Cyan's now dirty sarong. It was covered from pudding, wine, turkey gravy, and pieces of fruit stuck on her sarong.

"I believe she brought this onto herself when she insulted me." The prince retaliates and crosses his arms.

"Excuse me?! YOU were the one who insulted me first! He made fun of my outfit and insulted my family!" Cyan yelled. She wanted to slap or punch him even if it would lead her to be imprisoned. Ali must have noticed because he got a lock of her hair and kissed the tips of it.

"These rags do not become you, my amorous one. Your beauty is only a mirror to your kindness and your eyes show your soul is as vibrant as a diamond." Ali replied. He winked his right eye at her and Cyan could hear the women squeal when they saw him wink.

Cyan and the prince were surprised by his comments. At this point, Cyan was starting to be impressed by Ali and how well he knew how to treat women better than the prince. He doesn't overlook people by their social status or by the clothes they wear. He treats everyone he meets with respect and he treats his servants with kindness unlike the prince in front of her. Meanwhile, the prince just stood in shock at the sight in front of him. This was another prince just like him, but Ali was a complete stranger to him. Ali wasn't lavished with expensive accessories minus the medals dangling from the left side of his pants. He didn't raise his voice or show superiority to the people that were below him. It vexed him to see a person of noble birth was friendly with the poor girl in front of Ali. He began to question who this girl was and her ties to Ali.

"Shall I take you for dinner tomorrow night?" Ali suggested to Cyan.

"I'm afraid she already has plans with me." The prince told him. "She's having dinner with me tomorrow evening as my personal guest."

"I am?" Cyan asked bewildered.

"She is?!" The women screeched.

"Yes, you are. Come back to my castle at eight o'clock tomorrow night. And try and wear something presentable for dinner." The prince told Cyan. However, it sounded like an order more than an invitation. It confused Cyan because the prince was angry with her and was throwing food at her a few moments ago. Suddenly his spiteful demeanor changed when Ali has her attention.

However, Cyan didn't want to look selfish and accepted his 'dinner invite' despite the ladies' jealous glares. Some of them was stomping their feet, pulling locks of their hair, or whispering to each other about how in the world could the prince invite her. Cyan didn't want this kind of attention because it felt like being judged by the Bimbettes in Villeneuve. It was a constant battle in this kind of society. If you were different from the crowd, you were labeled as an outcast. However, you will get some attention and it will make a few people jealous. In Cyan's case, she had a hot-tempered prince in this room and a pompous hunter in Villeneuve.

"Cyan, wake up it's time to for breakfast!" Cyan heard Cole's voice yell at her.

Cyan looked around to look for him and the little boy was nowhere to be seen. Everything started to turn gray and darken around her. The people were losing their color and their voices started to quiet down. Soon the people vanished into gray smoke and then Cyan heard tapping noises. She looked around again as the tapping got louder until she woke up abruptly. She took another look of her surroundings to see her attic room. The window was bright from the sunlight outside and it allowed her to see that Cole was peeking from the opened attic door.

"Morning, lazy sister. Mama said breakfast is ready and she wanted me to wake you up." Cole explained. Cyan only nodded at him before he climbed down the ladder.

She looked at the foot of her bed and saw all her old toys either in a row or was on their side. The toys were wooden figures and one of them had a large nose and wore a ivory vest, cream pants, and black jutti shoes. It was laying on its left side and it was looking at the window near Cyan's bed. The rest were wooden soldier toys. Their paint was either fading or chipping off the crafted wood and Cyan was waiting until she could repaint them and give them a new look. Cyan took off the eye mask, looked to her right side, and saw Ali the stuffed doll. She suddenly realized he was dressed in the same outfit Prince Ali wore in her dream and the medals on the doll's pants were just small pieces of medal tied with small ribbons on the tip. _'Okay, this is probably just a coincidence. Maybe it was something you ate.'_ Cyan thought to herself. When Cyan glanced down at her clothes, she saw wine and pudding stains on her white night dress. She threw the blankets off her to see that her sarong was soiled by food. She wasn't dirty before she went to bed the night before and the circus didn't have a food fight.

"What just happened...?" Cyan said out loud.

* * *

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

So the Prince thinks he's got a rival! And he invites Cyan to dinner. This outta be interesting.

I am sorry for slow progress, but school is starting and so updating will take a while. I will be working on chapters, but it will be slow. Also, I cannot believe I'm close to 50 followers and favorites!

Please review, but please no mean comments or flames!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan, my version of Prince Ali, the servants, Cole, and the circus!


	11. A very awkward breakfast

It was strange, despite the food fight being only a dream, Cyan's clothes was filthy. Cyan knew it didn't make much sense, since what happened in dreams don't normally come true. If that'd be the case, Grandpa Apple would already be retired; he would tell them having drempt of gold and a fancy old castle in the Highlands of Scotland. She remembered stories of characters dreaming of their deaths and later in life, the characters faced the same demise as they did in their dreams. Other stories explain the dreams were visions of the future or wishes the heart makes like in _Cinderella_ and the Chinese's version where the slippers were in the appearance of golden fish, instead of glass. Cyan never had these kinds of dreams until Agatha gave her those candies and she began to wonder if Agatha had anything to do with it. However, she realized she was fortunate that her dream was about the hot-tempered prince and the ball. It would have been a nightmare if she drempt of being married to Gaston.

"Are you coming to breakfast or not?! Everyone else is still asleep so we can a larger portion before the others are awake!" Cole snapped her out of her thoughts. He was still waiting below in his room and he was getting impatient waiting for her to climb down.

"I'm coming!" Cyan yelled back at him before walking toward the attic door.

She slowly climbed down the ladder, followed Cole out of his room and into the small kitchen. They were following the smell of bacon and the sound of pancakes being flipped onto a plate. Their mouths watered from the intoxicating aroma of the sizzling bacon, hearing it crackle and popping in a pan, and they were imagining tasting the fluffy pancakes along with sweet fruits as a side. They were relieved that they couldn't smell heavy whiskey or any alcohol which meant Satin Sally was cooking. The circus members had members who could cook and who was banned from the kitchen. Satin Sally and Grandpa Apple is two of the best cooks in the circus, but no one wants to ask them to cook together because of their bad temper. Valjean made it mandatory that the knives would be removed if the two started arguing in the kitchen. Satin Sally and Grandpa Apple are good cooks; however, they had different ways of cooking. Grandpa Apple would always include alcohol into the food even if it was pancakes or just fruit. It tastes good on bananas with caramel, but Cyan didn't want a boozy breakfast. He also would use pig fat if he didn't have alcohol and it didn't taste good on anything except meat.

Satin Sally takes her time making breakfast because it was her only chance to have time for herself. She knew that hardly any of the members want to wake up at the ungodly early hours and so it gave her some space to breathe as she cooked up delicious foods for her circus family. Cyan and Cole remembered Satin Sally telling them her mother used to make the best pancakes and how she used to walk to the chicken's pen to get the eggs to make it. It took at least six or seven eggs to make it extra fluffy and sometimes, she would add vanilla syrup into the wet mix to make it taste sweet. Satin Sally made sure they had fruits to go with breakfast and would add blueberries or strawberries into the pancakes.

"Mornin, mama." Cole called out from the doorway. His mother was finishing up a pancake in the pan when Cole scared her and she thrusts the pan up and the pancake flew on Cyan's face. The pancake itself was fully cooked, but it was burning hot.

"Hot!" Cyan screamed and threw the pancake across the room.

"Oh, mijo! Don't scare me like that!" Satin Sally breathed and clenched the fabric around her chest.

"Sorry mama. But you told me to wake up Cyan for breakfast." Cole explained.

"And I get a hot pancake on my face. It will scar me for the rest of my life. I am officially scared of breakfast." Cyan said in a mocking tone. She stared at the pancake that was now stuck on the wall and began to wonder if it was tasty enough to eat off the wall or if she should leave it alone when a fly landed on the center of the pancake.

"You can eat that pancake if you want to keep teasing me, Cyan." Satin Sally pointed her spatula at her adopted daughter. She smirked as Cyan quickly shook her head at the comment. Cyan loved her adopted mother's breakfast and she didn't want to try and find an alternative breakfast if Satin Sally banned her from her food for that morning only.

"Please, don't do that!" Cyan almost begged.

"I'm kidding you. Get a plate and eat before you starve until lunch." Her adopted mother laughed to herself. Her children quickly made their way to the plates on the table though the siblings fought over who should get the first plate and be the first one to eat Satin Sally's delicious food. It warmed her heart to see them wanting to eat her food. They were lucky to be able to eat delicious food because Satin Sally wasn't that fortunate as a child.

When Satin Sally was a young girl, her family lived in a poor village in Spain and sometimes they had to go to bed hungry if her father couldn't bring in money. As a result, it was very important for the little girls to learn how to be a perfect wife. It was a dream among them to find a rich man and marry him so they didn't have to worry about paying taxes or doing chores because they were servants to do their bidding. The man can be of royal blood or just be a merchant with wealthy connections and the wife will have an easy life. However, Satin Sally didn't have that kind of a dream; her parents dreampt of her future for her. Her mother taught her how to cook, how to clean the house, and how to take care of her husband. Her father had the most important job of the family: putting a price on his daughter's hand in marriage. Satin Sally's father wanted to see if any of his daughters suitors would be willing to pay for her hand without trying to hassling a bargain for his precious little girl. However, Satin Sally knew there was going to be men with darken hearts because they would either want a pretty wife to show off his status or a concubine on the side if his real wife isn't on his mind. She didn't want to be that kind of a wife nor did she wanted to be worth the price of two donkeys and a bag of thirty-two silver pieces.

Satin Sally had five suitors come to her door every three days to see if she was worth the price and one of them would try and lower the pieces of silver to make her be his wife. Her father wouldn't allow it so the price remained thirty-two. The disheartened suitor would leave, but he would come back to see if her father will change his mind later. It was fortunate when Valjean came into her small village one day and offered to pay her father the donkeys and forty silver pieces. Back then, Valjean was a strapping young man though his clothes were full of holes and he looked more like a beggar than a ringleader of a circus. Satin Sally remembered how two of her suitors would try to reason with her father to make him think Valjean couldn't take care of his daughter. However, these were the same men who tried to make him lower the price and her father wondered if these suitors should stay here. He wanted to make sure his daughter was well cared for and cherished like a woman should be. If these men kept harping to lower the price of silver on her, they were not the right husband for her. He gave Valjean his blessings to take Satin Sally and so, she was allowed to travel with him. It was bittersweet for her; she was going to miss her parents, but now she was able to travel outside her small village and see the world. Unfortunately, she realized Valjean thought he purchased a member for his circus when she tried to climb into his bed that night. She had to explain to him that he bought her as a wife. The poor ringleader fainted and slept on the floor while Satin Sally slept warmly in his makeshift bed.

Satin Sally wanted her children to have a comfortable life instead of a monotone life she had before Valjean bought her. She wanted them to marry a person who would cherish them despite their personalities and appearance. Cole was still too young to be thinking about girls; at his age, he preferred pranks and the circus' baby elephant. Cyan was old enough to be married, but unlike Satin Sally, Cyan didn't have a lot of suitors. The only suitor that stood out was Gaston and he was nothing but trouble to the circus. None of the members wanted the hunter to be near Cyan, but they won't speak out unless she needed help. Cyan's personality should eventually be enough to drive the big-headed Gaston away.

"Cyan, what in God's name have you done to your night dress?!" Satin Sally screeched when she noticed the red and brown stains on Cyan. The red-head was in mid-chew on her pancakes when her adopted mother called her out. She looked down at herself and saw the stains then realized she forgotten about them. Cyan was too focused on her breakfast that she forgotten about the stains.

"Hm? What stains?" Cyan asked, tucking her night gown between her legs.  
"Cyan, I can still see the stains."

"No, you can't. You must be getting older fast because your eyesight is lying to you."

"Cadence Elizabeth Regina Antebellum!" Satin Sally shouts at her. Cyan could tell she was getting annoyed and reminding the Spanish dancer was getting old made her angry.

"Oh God, my full name." Cyan muttered under her breath.

"I maybe getting old, but I know a dirty nightdress when I see it. Did you have a couple drinks with the old burro and Jacque?" Satin Sally narrowed her eyes at Cyan and folded her arms.

"No, ma'am." Cyan shook her head fast. Meanwhile, Cole stole one of Cyan's pancakes and two pieces of sliced apples.

"Are you sure?" Her adopted mother raised her left eyebrow suspiciously.

"I wouldn't touch that foul liquid."

"You could be right. This looks like fancy red wine and we only carry cheap wine. Neither Jacque or the old burro have went into town to get more wine. Where in God's name did you even find pudding?!" Satin Sally asked while kneeling down to examine the stains. It was rare for the circus to even get pudding because it was a luxury food to them. They would only get pudding when it was the Christmas season because it went well as dessert after they eaten their small roast goose and potatoes.

"M-Maybe the pudding came from the vendor you bought the nightdress from?" Cyan nervously suggested. She didn't want to tell her about her dream and the possible reason why her outfit was stained. She was afraid of the dancer not believing her. Cyan already had Gaston criticizing on how she acted and she didn't want to lose the support of her adopted mother. Satin Sally would probably believe her because she knew Cyan wouldn't tell lies about this. Nevertheless, the young lady wanted to be cautious before she tells anyone her assumptions.

"You could be right. The vendor was a hard one to haggle. The bruja of a woman had a lot of pretty colorful dresses, but she wanted twenty pounds per dress and she wanted to to sell the accessories and jewels for half a crown! I bet she keeps underpaid workers to sew her dresses or she bought them from Paris and altered them! How can women be so vain about pricing dresses by their design?!" Satin Sally ranted.

It didn't surprise Cyan and Cole if their mother became distracted with her rants and if they were lucky, she would forget what they were talking about and continue to talk about what was bugging her that day. It was a miracle Satin Sally wasn't thrown out of town if she had to argue with the vendor just for Cyan's present. She was almost thrown in jail for trying to argue with a toy shop owner when she tried to get Cole a birthday present. He wanted a new toy soldier for his sixth birthday and Satin Sally wanted to make sure he got what he wanted. It took Valjean and Phillip an hour to drag her away from the shop before the owner could call the guards on her. Cole did get a toy soldier, but it was handmade by one of the knife throwers and crudely painted by Grandpa Apple. He loved the toy and he still has the toy in his room.

"Let's get this cleaned before the stains set in." Satin Sally told Cyan and quickly made her stand up from her chair.

"I can take this off myself!" Cyan insisted.

"Listen to your mother and take off your dress before I hogtie your hands again." Satin Sally sternly said.

It scared Cyan and the members if they saw Satin Sally tie up one of the members if they were being stubborn. They would often forget she grew up in a small village and she had to learn how to keep a pig from running away when it was going to be either moved into another pen or killed for dinner. The woman had muscles hidden under her delicate, blue dancing dress and Grandpa Apple was always a victim because he was the most stubborn member in the circus. Cyan had no choice but to submit to her. Satin Sally untied the dark blue sarong and the teal sash from Cyan's waist and grabbed the end of her nightdress. She carefully pulled the dress up toward Cyan's head which made her show her white, fluffy bloomers and a gray undershirt. Cyan had to borrow one of the male member's spare shirt until she can wash her clothes. Cole was used to his mother's antics so he ignored the women and continued eating his breakfast. All three heard the kitchen door close and turned their attention to their visitor only to see it was LeFou. His face was slowly turned red from the sight of Cyan stripped to her unmentionables.

"U-Um..." LeFou stuttered.

* * *

To my readers and followers, I am terribly sorry for making you all wait almost four months to read another chapter. When I was working on this chapter, my laptop lost it a couple times, I had to restart my laptop after my sister's boyfriend used it, and also the hurricane that hit Florida and Georgia. I also choose to get Spring classes instead of Fall and I had a big trip to Arkansas a couple weeks ago and I didn't bring my laptop with me.

It made me happy to see people are still reading and watching my story despite the long gap and grapejuice101, thank you for encouraging me to finish the chapter. I hope this made your day and I'm sorry for your weekend. My beta reader RabbitonSteriods cannot reach wifi so I had my friend Lucariofreak55 proof read this before I posted this chapter. If there are any mistakes, please PM me and I will fix em!

So we have an awkward moment for LeFou. I wonder what happens next.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney

I only own my characters.

Please NO flames or mean comments.


	12. A rude awakening for the circus

The moment LeFou walked in when Cyan was changing out of her dress was also when the circus got a rude awakening. Most of the members were still dreaming sweet dreams of milk and honey or of rich and famous; however, a lot of the members didn't want to wake up in the ungodly hours of the morning. The knife-throwers and the animal tamers were used to getting up early to practice and feed the animals before the creatures woke up. The staff didn't have to worry about the elephants, the horses, or the peacocks waking up because they were friendly to the members. However, it was the tigers that worried them due to their sharp teeth and claws. The orange felines have known a lot of the older members of the circus ever since they were cubs, but it didn't stop their habit of being ill-tempered toward several members. The acrobats wanted to sleep in because they would freeze up in the morning winds and they wouldn't want to move until it was warmer. The dancers would wake up when Satin Sally finished making breakfast and she would walk to the barn and wake them up to eat. However, no one wanted to wake up from Cyan's screaming because they wondered if she was in trouble.

"I'm coming, Cyan!" Rebecca shouted from the tiger's wagon. She had been sleeping with the tigers with only a blanket and used pregnant tigress Silva as a pillow.

The brunette jumped up from her furry company and somehow squeezed between the wagon bars. Phillip the strong man and Bella the dancer was the only ones who were fully awake when they witness their friend getting out of the tiger wagon. Bella had a burnt left eye due to her mother putting hot coals over it and despite her disability, she saw Rebecca trying to get out of wagon. Both of them wondered how the tiger tamer could even squeeze herself between the bars since Rebecca had a large bosom. It had gotten Rebecca into trouble in the past; for instance, she only turned around when a villager was going to scold her for eating a rack of meat in public when Rebecca quickly stood up and her bosom whipped up and hit the villager in the face. They were lucky the villager was a local bar maid who wanted the rack of meat because she was jealous of Rebeccas large chest and thought the meat was the reason for its size. The bar maid ended up getting two black eyes instead and she was allowed to take the day off until the swelling went down. Stanley and Dick thought it was hilarious so they didn't tell anyone what happened until the woman told her patrons and she got laughed at for her 'raccoon eyes'.

Rebecca ran toward the fire pit and grabbed a burnt piece of wood before making her way toward the house. Phillip and Bella quickly followed behind because they were worried about Cyan, but they also didn't want Rebecca to murder whoever made Cyan scream off the top of her lungs. However, the dainty dancer Bella would probably hide behind Phillip if the person is stronger than her only because she didn't want to get hurt. She could barely see out of her burnt eye and she would have a disadvantage. Phillip wasn't going to let the ladies get hurt if the fight turns a wrong way especially since if Rebecca got hurt, the tigers would probably escape their cart. It would be a massacre if that happened and the circus doesn't want to have their tigers taken from them just because they were following their instincts.

"I'll save you, buddy!" Rebecca shouts as she opened the door fast.

It was an odd sight for the trio to see early in the morning. LeFou was trying to use a small plate as a shield against Cyan and she didn't look happy nor was she properly dressed. She was in her unmentionables whilst Satin Sally held her back by the arms. The short man was pleading for his life while apologizing at the angry redhead despite her seething rage featured on her face. It was one of the few times poor LeFou has seen Cyan in a fury and he was hoping sooner or later she will calm down so he can enjoy the breakfast Satin Sally had out without getting killed over a silly mistake. As for Rebecca and her friends, they were wondering why Cyan was even wearing a men's undershirt and not a feminine undershirt. There was a line between being too poor to afford luxuries like soft blankets or women's cottes and just being lazy. The vote between the three was a mix: Rebecca thinks its because they were poor. Phillip believes Cyan is lazy. Dainty Bella just thought Cyan doesn't like wearing a cotte.

"Hold down your board, Rebecca. It's just LeFou." Phillip told Rebecca and took away her burnt piece of wood. The strongman was already tired of his friends' antics and ready to eat and start on his chores.

"Why didn't you knock on the door?!" Cyan screamed.

"I didn't think I was going to walk in on a dress show! I swear!" LeFou held his dish shield up to his face. "Please, have mercy on me!"

"Ugh.." Cyan's body drooped and acted as dead weight for Satin Sally who thought it was the right moment to drop her so she can save a pancake from burning in the pan. Cyan's face met the floor and her temper slowly start to ebb away as she realized she hasn't ate anything. She was more hungry for pancakes than being angry at LeFou and she really, really wanted those fluffy pancakes with crispy bacon and sweet fruit on the side. She also wanted a glass of milk or a cup of water to wash down the food once she got her hands on a plate.

"Are you dead?" LeFou asked as he poked the crown of head with his shoe.

"I hope not because you are an ugly angel if this is heaven." Cyan mumbled from the floor. She barely smirked at LeFou's frown at the remark.

"Do you believe me now?"

"LeFou, I'm either an idiot or hungry enough to believe you right now."

No one could argue with her on that notion. LeFou's belly growled louder than Cyan's because he walked from the village to their house and forgot about the breakfast he prepared himself back home. If he had left right now, his would-be breakfast would be stone cold on his counter and Satin Sally's pancakes was practically begging to be eaten. Unfortunately, LeFou learnt the hard way how rough the circus had it at breakfast. Rebecca and Phillip practically tackled him down just to get to the table and the two fought over who should get more strips of bacon. Bella tiptoed over the short man to get to the table and tried to avoid the small brawl very carefully. Bella was also one of the delicate dancers in the troupe and it seemed like any blunt force to any part of her body would leave her with a bruise; however, she always bounced back up and reassures its part of the circus life. LeFou always wondered how Bella and Cyan could tolerate this if there is always a fight for breakfast every morning even though he practically has to fight for a good piece of meat at the tavern if Gaston isn't there. It is a hard life for the short, fat man.

"Hello again LeFou. Do you come here often for pleasure or did someone push you down again?" Cyan quirked. LeFou gave her a flat look which made her laugh. "Hey, at least it wasn't Gaston or a thorn bush to bring you down this time."

"Do not remind me." LeFou retorted as he got off the floor with Cyan.

Or that's what LeFou assumed. Cyan couldn't find the strength to get up because she hadn't eaten her own breakfast yet. She didn't have the chance to even nibble on a pancake since LeFou walked in on her when she was still indecent to be seen that early in the morning. Cyan wasn't exactly fully clothed still; however, LeFou was now used to seeing her in her unmentionables and ready to join the others for breakfast. Everyone else was currently either trying to fight for pancakes and bacon or eating their delicious bounty of food while poor Cyan laid weak on the floor. The poor girl's stomach growls hungrily as she heard bacon being crunched and drinks being slurped. It was her fault for reacting toward her friend when he walked in while she was in her unmentionables instead of ignoring him in favor of eating her breakfast. However Cyan remembered before the stout man came into the kitchen: she made herself a plate of food and began to thank God for remembering this important information. She struggled to lift her head up to ask Rebecca or Bella to drop her plate so she could eat. Unfortunately, that wasn't happening because Cole was eating her food. The young boy had finished his own plate and began to eat off his sister's plate since it was near him. He probably forgot it was Cyan's or knew it was hers and decided to eat it anyway. He tore into her small pancake stack, munched on her bacon, and drank her glass of milk. It doesn't look like horror to anyone unless they were weak from hunger like Cyan currently was.

 _'Noooo! Why?! God, why have you let this happen!?'_ Cyan screamed in her head as she watched her younger brother gobble down her food. She slammed her face into the wood boards which made a loud thump. No one didn't notice this noise over the loud chatter from Rebecca about how their pregnant tigress was doing, the sizzling of bacon from Satin Sally's pan while she cooked, and the gross slurping of drinking from LeFou. Cyan began to imagine the huge feast from her dreams and then she thought of the two princes who fought over her attention. Well, one prince was fighting over her attention and the other acted like a perfect gentleman despite her gypsy attire. She couldn't understand why she was thinking about the pompous prince when she was hungry; though she was hoping it wasn't something else that wasn't food hunger. The prince wasn't exactly what she wanted in a man even though he was wealthy. But how shallow is a person if they only like a person just for their wealth? It made her sick when she thought of her own mother and her greed because Cyan didn't want to be that type of person. Besides, the red head's first impression of the prince was he was rude, arrogant, and wore too much white face paint or powdered sugar. She was too hungry to logically think and it was starting to drive her crazy. She didn't notice heavy boots stopping in front of her and lightly tap the crown of her head.

"My dear, why are you on the floor?" Valjean asks, looking down at his adopted daughter.

"The floor looked very comfy this morning. So I thought it was a good time to lay down." Cyan sarcastically remarked.

"And in your underwear too?

"Help me up, you fool!" Cyan was too hungry and angry to take his sass as he chuckled to himself and simply took a step back when she tried to slap his boots.

"Hi, Cyan. Why are you on the floor?" Cole asked when he finally looked down at her. It made her blood boil when he acknowledged her after he just ate her breakfast.

"Cole. You. Are. A dead boy!"

Cyan had enough strength to yell at Valjean and Cole despite not being able to get up by herself.

* * *

I seem to have pet issues. I have a cat name Kenny and a dog name Chesney (for those who can guess the singer the two are named after, thank you) and they have a tendency to crowd around me when I have human food they love. I was eating a Double Sonic bacon burger with onions and Kenny is trying to get a bite and Chesney is waiting on the floor.

I am sorry for posting so late. Again! But writer's block kept stopping me from typing since I always doubt what I write sometimes. I actually managed to finish this chapter after listening to Imagine Dragons newest song "Whatever It Takes" and I saw my Funko POP Beast pen. It's the animated movie Beast standing on the end of the pen. He looks so innocent and adorable! I wish they also made a live action Beast pen then I can have them both. What I really need is to stop doubting myself on my writing because I want to be a writer and publish my own Disney books if I can.

But without further ado, we get a look into what breakfast is like in Cyan's circus and we also see LeFou is spared from Cyan's wraith. For now.

I only own Cyan and the circus.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney!

Please review! Please no flames or mean comments! And if anyone finds any mistake in spelling or grammar, please do not hesitate to let me know!

Special thanks to my beta readers, Lucariofreak55 and RabbitonSteroids!


	13. Portrait of a dream

It was normal for Valjean and the others to see Cyan mad at Cole if she was frustrated with his actions or a small prank. LeFou has seen his friend be stern toward the boy only a handful of times. Maybe two or three times. Cole was always a rambunctious child; he was especially cheeky toward his older adopted sister because he knew how to get on her nerves and could sprint away from her if he had the chance. He did not have that chance considering Cole was in his mother's kitchen and he was too stuffed to move from his chair. The only damage he received was a hit on the head and Cyan messing up his bed hair which made him annoyed. He hated brushing his hair if he knew there were too many painful knots to brush out. His hair only went to his shoulders and sometimes, he wore it in a small ponytail like a character from one of Cyan's stories. Cole idolized his sister's character Flynn the Daring because Flynn was always looking for adventure in a rundown kingdom. The small boy always asks her to make up another adventure for Flynn to go on if Cyan put him to bed.

"I hope you learnt your lesson, little brother." Cyan huffed and sat down in a nearby chair.

"I doubt it. I probably have memory loss from your vicious pounding on my head." Cole complained as he rubbed the back of his sore head.

"Oh, hush. I didn't hit you that hard!"

"My brain is aching from the pain!"

"You have a brain?!" Cyan gasps dramatically. "Rebecca, run to the town square! It is God's miracle! Praise his blessings and lets have a feast!"

"I can live without the sarcasm." The boy narrowed his eyes at her while she gave him a smug grin.

LeFou couldn't help but laugh at their antics. It made Phillip, Rebecca, and Bella weary of their friends' bickering and wishing they will settle down for one morning. The short man always had a laugh when he came to visit them or even if he ran into them in town on the street. Besides the chaplain and the potter, the circus didn't mind LeFou coming onto their property and they enjoy his company when he had a chance to visit them. Many of the older members were still weary of him because of his friendship with Gaston. Gaston has been a thorn on the circus' side ever since they first came into Villeneuve and Cyan being constantly pursued by the pompous hunter. Fortunately, Valjean sees no threat in LeFou and the ringleader saw himself as a great judge of character. This comment is highly debated by the opinions of his wife, Grandpa Apple, and his adopted daughter Cyan.

"You still have your sharp tongue this early in the morning." LeFou munched on two strips of bacon and looked over at Cyan.

"And you brought your appetite this morning." Cyan retorts and stuffs her face into a pancake. She forgo the fork and knife because she was too hungry to care about manners. LeFou only shakes his head at her and quickly cut into his own pancake stack. He wanted to eat it before Cyan can have a chance to steal it.

"Use your knife and fork! You are not a wild animal!" Satin Sally shouted from the other side of the room.

The Spanish dancer was finishing up her cooking duty, getting ready to walk outside to wake up the other dancers, and make sure the rest of the troop ate before starting on their chores and practices. Bella was always the first dancer to wake up after Satin Sally and she would sometimes help wake up everyone. It was Bella's morning off so she could enjoy her breakfast and have Rebecca fix her hair for the day. The poor girl is self-conscious of her burnt left eye. She sees herself as ugly if she left it uncovered. No one in the circus thought she was ugly; unfortunately, it was different if she went into Villeneuve. She can try to ignore their insults, but it weighs heavily on the heart as the day grows long. Satin Sally always made sure the young girls of the circus knew their manners. She wanted them to be courteous to others, be nice to patrons, and hope they will find a kind husband like she found Valjean. However, Cyan was a 'special' case that always stuck on Satin Sally.

"Bwut I'm so hunwgry." Cyan spoke back with a mouthful of pancakes. She swallowed down her food when the Spanish dancer gave her a nasty look.

"And don't talk with your mouth full! Mi amore, please tell your daughter to mind her manners." Satin Sally turned toward her husband in hopes he could talk some sense into Cyan. Alas, she was betrayed. Valjean let out one loud burp at his wife.

"Ooh, I'm sorry, darling. Did you say something?" He chuckled when she slapped him on the shoulder before she stormed out the door. Valjean loved to tease his wife whenever she was irritated with someone. It always sparked a fire in him to see her ruffled up. She looked beautiful when she's angry whilst it hurt when she hits him. Valjean knew Cyan needed to be reminded of her manners, but he knew she will know when to use them because it is hard to forget lessons that was drilled into one's head by a strict instructor. Satin Sally may be a stern teacher, but she will never strike a child if they were out of line like most tutors. He was only blessed to know Cyan didn't have any harsh scars on her person like other unfortunate young ladies.

"So did anyone sleep well last night?" Valjean looked around at the small group.

"I didn't. How can I sleep when Grandpa Apple is snoring up a storm!?" Rebecca screeched.

"He drank up enough to make him sleep through Cyan's yelling." Bella added and rubbed her eyes.

"Hey, I didn't know I was going to get peeped at!" Cyan turned her head toward Bella and gestured a fork at LeFou.

"Oh sure, blame me." LeFou frowned.

"Has anyone seen Agathe? Isn't she coming down for breakfast?"

"The beggar woman left before you woke up, Cyan." Cole said while he got off his chair and put his dishes in the sink. "Mama made her take some pancakes, a bottle of milk, and some fruit before she went out the door. I don't get why she even left because we got enough room for her stay. She said she didn't want to stay very long."

"That's a little odd. I wanted to ask her about the candy she gave me last night. I ate one and when I fell asleep, I had a really weird dream last night."

"A dream you say?" Valjean raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh? Did you dream about Gaston?" LeFou asked in curiosity.

"That's not a dream. That's a nightmare!" Phillip looked over at the short man.

"I should hurl you into the thorn bush for that, LeFou." Cyan narrowed her eyes at him.

"Now, now Cyan. Please mind your temper because it is too early in the morning to hear you yell again. You mentioned you had a dream last night. Care to tell us what it was about?" Valjean said after he finished his cup of juice.

It wasn't a surprise to the group, except for LeFou, that their ringleader wanted to know about what people dream about. Valjean was always curious about dreams due his belief that dreams show a person what they want to see like their desires and pleasures. He also believed dreams show the person their fears and their painful memories when they try to bottle it up. Cyan rarely talked about dreams because she would either forget what she drempt or it was another nightmare about her mother or a deceased circus member.

"I was in a large ballroom and a small dog woke me up by licking my face. I also heard a harpsichord play somewhere in the room. It was pretty strange because I thought I was still in my room and we don't even own such a instrument." Cyan started to explain and drank what was left in her cup.

"Not since Jacque set it on fire in England when he missed the target." Bella added. She got up from the table and took hers and Phillips plates and cups. "Remember, he wanted to light the hoop the horses was going to ride through and he missed by a few feet."

"Oh, I remember that stunt! He looked so terrified when the musicians chased him down while he screamed for help!" Rebecca laughed at the memory. It wasn't hard for Jacque to make a fool of himself in front of a crowd of customers or just his friends. He was always afraid of the musicians in the circus because their instruments are their bread and butter which meant they needed these to help earn money and play when the others are getting ready to put on a show. Jacque was still paying off the burnt harpsichord to this day even though it happened last year.

"Can I finish or are we going to talk about Jacque now?" Cyan crossed her arms in annoyance. The others quickly silenced at her tone. Phillip and Rebecca was still tired from her rude wake-up call and Bella was too busy washing the dishes so Satin Sally didn't have to do it. LeFou was finishing up his meal and he waited until Bella had enough room for him to put his dirty dishes in the sink before returning to his seat.

"Go on." Rebecca moved her right hand in a wave like gesture to signal her to continue her talk.

"Okaay. This woman with big blonde hair came over to me and she wanted me to be dressed up for this dance. I don't know this woman but her dress was...a little bit gawdy. I liked the snowflake clips she had in her hair."

"Did you just say 'snowflake clips'?!" Rebecca was nodding off while her friend was talking.

"Hey, I thought you said I could finish talking!" Cyan glared at the tiger tamer before Rebecca held her hands up.

"Okay, okay! It just seems strange you said that. I just...remembered I gave my mother snowflake clips for her hair before we were separated. I just don't remember their names. I apologize, my friend.." She hung her head as she tried to remember her real parents. Rebecca lost her parents when they were separated during the war and since then, she was raised with Cyan in the circus until she could find them.

"I can forgive you this time. Anyway, I didn't like the idea of being prepped and then this older man with a clock arm mustache walked up to us and said his highness couldn't wait any longer. So I'm being guided to the middle of the ballroom before the music started to play and the room is filled with forty or thirty-five women and one man on the throne."

"What is the guy planning to do with that many women?" Phillip interrupted.

"At first I thought he was going to have a harem, but apparently it was a royal ball. The women danced with themselves until the host came down from his humongous throne. But my partner didn't want to touch me because I wasn't 'properly' dressed. So now everyone was making fun of my clothes and the host told me I was either a black sheep, a gypsy, or my family cannot afford a pretty dress."

"That's both rude and inconsiderate on his part." Bella called over from the sink.

"Wouldn't that be the same thing, Bella?" LeFou wondered.

"No, rude means you are either impolite or ill-mannered and inconsiderate is being selfish or mean." It did explain a lot when LeFou heard the other circus members call Gaston rude or inconsiderate when the hunter bullies them. The short man didn't think the words were different and thought it was the same thing.

"What did this host look like?" Valjean asks as he got an apple from the fruit bowl.

"Well, he said he was a prince. He looked more like a clown than of royalty! He had a big, curly white wig and the back curls were tied in a black bow. He had pale makeup on his face, bright red on his plump lips, and black makeup around his eyes along with a interesting mask. I want to say it was made out of powder and other types of makeup, but I wasn't paying attention to his face." Cyan tried to explain what the prince's makeup was. It surprises her that she could remember what he looked like in her dream even though he wasn't the most hospitable host.

"Were you focusing on something that was further down south?" Rebecca joked and held her laugh when the redhead intensely glared at her. It didn't make her scary because her face had a slight blush over her cheeks.

"NO."

"He does sound like a clown." Cole agreed. "I wanna see what he looks like!"

"I can't draw him though. If I try and draw, it'll look like circles and crooked lines." Cyan leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms behind her head. She wasn't very good in subjects that ladies were supposed to be good at such as cooking, dancing, or art. She could make up her own dances but the traditional dances, such as the waltz, wasn't one of her strong suits. Cyan can still remember her mother harping on her to strive for more grace and to focus on the steps instead of daydreaming.

"Phillip, can you draw this prince for her?" Cole asked the strongman which interrupted his sister's trip down memory lane.

"I really don't feel like drawing this morning. I still have to chop more firewood, sweep up the peacocks feathers in their pen, and prep for evening supper." Phillip droned on about his day. Despite being a strongman, Phillip had a hidden talent in art especially in drawing. He didn't like saying he loved the arts because his appearance portrayed him as a burly, tough man when he is only a sixteen year old boy with a body growing faster than his age.

"Come on, I'll do your chores for today!" Cyan bargained and she got in front of his face. She was surprised at herself because the prince was someone she hated even though he was from a dream. But she desperately wanted to see how Phillip can draw this person.

"...Better make it a week." The strongman told her and frowned when the smaller woman hugged him.

"Thank you!"

Valjean couldn't help but smile at the scene. He hasn't seen them so lively since they first arrived in Villeneuve and it was always hard adjusting to the village life. It is never easy trying to cooperate with society's impossible standards if you were born differently from everyone. A person is subjective to social status and its beliefs: the poor class may not afford hardly anything and they work for a measly pay. The middle class earn more money than the poor class, but they want to be part of the high class. The high class can afford whatever luxury and comfort. However, high society are trapped in harsh rules where their children may not always choose whom they marry. They can be handed off to another rich person for a certain amount of money or land and they could be abusive. Life is much harder under such harsh restrictions and if a person was born with a deformity, their existence would be filled with torment and shunning from everyone. Deformed people doesn't have a chance in life even if they were part of high society. Their parents would be too ashamed for them to see the light of day and either locked or sent them away.

The ringleader wanted the children of the circus to break those rules and be themselves. He was always proud of them and their antics even if they anger his beloved wife sometimes. It always warmed his heart to see Cyan and the others encourage their friend to continue his talent even if Phillip didn't see himself as an artist. Valjean watched as his adopted daughter told her friend everything about this prince from her dreams. She went into details about his face, his wig, and his clothes. Bella and Rebecca were on Phillip's right and left side while he drew on a piece of paper Cole got him. LeFou stood behind the boy and watched in awe at how smooth Phillip moved the pencil across the paper. Phillip wanted to make sure this drawing was perfect. Cyan always asked him to draw out the characters she made up so she can a clear picture of what they look like. She would tell him to change their facial expressions, their clothes, their hair, or anything about cheekbones on their faces. His friend was so picky about how they should look and here she was giving him details about this person from a dream she had. She didn't hesitate in explaining what this prince wore; Cyan only told him to change how many curls the wig had and the small black mole under the prince's right eye. It just astonished him that a person from her dream has her this excited.

"Okay. I think I'm finished with your dream man, Cyan." Phillip sighs after thirty-nine minutes of drawing. "Is this what you saw?"

Cyan gasped in bewilderment at the sketch in his large hands. For once, Phillip didn't have to erase much of the rough sketch like he had to in his previous artworks. He drew the prince pretty well from the silly white wig to the collar of his night sky suit around his neck. She practically laughed at the sketch when she remembers calling the prince a clown and how mad he looked under the white powder.

"Oh my gosh, what in the world is he wearing?!" Rebecca cackled.

"He does look like a clown! Look at all that powder he's wearing!" LeFou laughed.

"He said it was supposed in enhance his b-beauty!" Cyan couldn't hold in her laugh anymore and hugged her sides.

"It's enhancing anything but beauty!" Cole shouts and took the sketch from Phillips hand.

"I know!"

"So what does her dream mean, Monsieur Valjean?" Bella turned to their ringleader as he felt the bridge of his nose and picked up his hat from the ground.

"I think she just needed a good laugh. Obviously, we all had a good laugh from this person. It is a masterpiece as always, Phillip. I don't see why you want to hide your talents." Valjean winked at the strongman. It made Phillip a little embarrassed when he got a compliment; however, he had to admit his newest sketch did look funny. "I better start taking my leave. I will see you all very soon."

"And where are you going in the ungodly hours of the morning?" Cyan turned her attention to Valjean and snatched the sketch from Cole before following her adopted father out the door.

"Ferdinand and I are going to find another town far away from here."

"You're finally going to get us out of this judgmental town?"

"I hope so. The villagers will not come to see us perform since our preview when we first arrived. I think we have our 'friend' Gaston to thank us for that."

"He's not even our friend so why are you even saying he is."

"Humor me, won't you?" Valjean smiled and made his way toward the stables where his horse and Grandpa Apple was waiting on him. The stables held most of the circus' horses and Grandpa Apple would sometimes sleep there in a hammock. He often said it was to protect the horses from thieves when everyone knew he wanted a semi quiet place to sleep, drink, and be merry.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me by my real name?!" The old man complained.

"We can always call you Ferd or Nand or even Fergie." Cyan retorted.

"I don't need any lip from you, young lady!"

"We better start leaving, old friend. The villagers could be waking up soon and we need to be out before they notice." Valjean instructed Grandpa Apple and mounted on his house.

"I highly doubt anyone will catch you two leaving if you take the road going into the forest." Cyan explained and gave Poppy a apple to eat. "We are going to miss you two while you're gone."

"Ain't that sweet. I'll miss ya too, sugar cube." Grandpa Apple said as he climbed on his horse Ludwig.

"We will miss you dearly, Grandpa Apple. Who else can make the most delicious candied apples in the circus."

"You'll only miss my food!?"

"Is there anything you want us to bring you back if we find another town, my dear?" Valjean quickly asked before the old man could start ranting at her.

"Hmm." Cyan began to wonder what she should ask this time, but it was always the same thing. "How about a rose?"

"Cadence, you always ask that when we go into another town."

"And every time, you two cannot find one. I want to see a real rose like the ones my real father used to have before he died."

"Roses don't grow everywhere, Cyan. You know that and roses aren't cheap. We probably can find you a dead one." Grandpa Apple laughed when she shook her head a lot. Both men knew she wanted to have something that reminded her of her father. She didn't remember much about her real father and could only remember he loved her and roses. She hadn't seen a rose in full bloom ever since her mother sold her to them.

"We will do what we can, my little one." Valjean kissed her forehead and clicked his tongue to make Poppy trot off. Grandpa Apple ruffled Cyan's hair as Ludwig followed behind Poppy and laughed hard when she tried to throw a rock at him and missed.

"You better come home safe! And hurry up so we can leave!" Cyan shouts at the two and watches as the horses take their riders away from the camp.

* * *

Does anyone else think Cyan is a bit interested in the Prince? No? Yes? Let's hope Valjean and Grandpa Apple finds another town for the circus to move to.

I only own Cyan and the circus.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

Special thanks to my beta readers Lucariofreak55 and RabbitonSteroids!

Once again, if anyone sees any grammar mistakes or spelling errors, please do not hesitate to PM me to tell me and I will fix it!

Also as always: Please no mean comments or flames!


	14. The peacocks!

The day grew long for Cyan since she had both Phillip and her own chores to do. Her chores were semi-easy because all she had to do was wash five muddy horses and distribute the clean laundry to the members. Phillip's chores required more manual labor on her part and she already spent the morning giving the horses a bath and chopping wood. Satin Sally had took everyone out to the forest to practice their tricks while Cyan and LeFou stayed behind at the camp. LeFou was curious about what they did in the forest. However, he still hadn't gained the older member's trust yet.

"Why aren't you going to practice with them? Don't you have an act in the circus?" LeFou asked Cyan. He was sitting on a nearby barrel while she rinsed off one of the acrobats' horses.

"I have an act, but not the kind I need to practice with the others." Cyan dried off the horse's skin with a towel before letting it roam into a small pen with its friends. "That's the last of them. Nice and clean until they run into another patch of mud."

"Twenty-two horses. How can you keep up with that many?" LeFou watched as the white and black horse trotted to its friends and grazed on some hay.

"It's pretty easy when you grow up in a circus. I mean we have a lot of performers here and the horses play a key role in our acts. They help us move around the audience so everyone can see us and they help us move from town to town. We used to have thirty horses until five perished in a fire, two got sick and had to be put down, and then three died unexpectedly."

"I'm...sorry that happened. You seem to really like the animals." LeFou smiled a bit and rested his chin on his left hand. The man was so used to seeing animals being hunted and mounted on the tavern wall. The creatures here are more exotic to the eyes of the villagers because they never seen them before.

"Well," Cyan began and turned her head toward the peacock pen. "except for them."

"Hm? The peacocks?"

"They are pure evil." Cyan spoke in a serious tone. She narrowed her eyes at the flock of preening birds while her short friend laughed at her expression.

"These are one of the most beautiful birds I've seen. Besides they're just fixing their feathers. Why do you think they're evil?"

"Don't let them fool you, LeFou! They can turn on you like a dog taking a ham bone from his master's hand. They are birds froth from the bowels of hell! They maybe beautiful but they are vicious creatures that can possibly muck your day a foul! Do you have any idea what they do with those big, black eyes of theirs?!" Cyan rants. She got into LeFou's face when she described the peacocks and it almost gave the poor man cold sweat. He began to wonder if he should be afraid for his safety against the peacocks. Or if they really were as bad as Cyan was telling him because all he could see the birds do is preening each other.

"W-What do th-they do?" She could feel LeFou shake uncertainly as fear built up inside of him. She leaned in close to his left ear.

"They mercilessly judge you behind your back." Cyan whispered low.

"That's it?!" LeFou shouted and Cyan fell to the ground laughing. "Cyan, you are really cruel! You had me scared like these things can pluck my eyes out or something! That's not even frightening!"

"Hehehe. I'm sorry LeFou, but you are 'stomping' mad about this." She let out a loud laugh and rolled around in the grass. The man had a flat look on his face at her joke. It wasn't the first time this young lady has joked about his predicament, but he knew it was a joke. He will laugh about this later on. "But with all silliness aside, I really don't like the peacocks. They've never liked me to begin with."

"Why not? I thought you said you grew up with the circus animals."

"I don't know." Cyan simply stated as she got up and brushed the grass off her clothes. "I haven't figured out why they hate me. It's quite the conundrum."

"A what? What does that mean?" LeFou had a decent education, but he still couldn't spell or understand big words.

"Just a difficult problem, my friend. A very difficult problem."

"Don't you have to go in and sweep up the feathers?"

 _'Ugh, I forgot about that!'_ Cyan facepalmed when she realized he was right. The peacocks could tolerate Phillip when he swept up the feathers they plucked off because most of the peahens had a crush on him. The male peacocks loved it when he took the time to fix their large, green tail feathers so they can look their best for both the crowd and the peahens. They didn't mind much of anyone in the circus troop, but they had a vendetta against Cyan. They didn't seem to like her ever since she was seven due to the fact she plucked a feather off one of them. Ever since that fateful day, the pristine birds are very wary if Cyan came near their general area.

' _I was only seven years old when I pulled a feather! It was one feather! I didn't pluck them of all of their feathers!'_ Cyan shouted in her head as she got a broom propped by the giraffes' wagon. The tall mammals couldn't scratch their underbellies very well if they get itchy. So someone would get the broom to relieve them of their unpleasant sensation. The broom bristles have worn down from being used as a scratching stick which made it perfect to sweep up the delicate feathers off the ground. Although Cyan didn't like the peacocks, she wanted to collect the feathers on the ground. She has been working on a peacock tail feather fan for Satin Sally, brown peahen feather earrings for Bella, and a blue peacock feather clip for Grandpa Apple's jacket as Christmas presents. Christmas was only three or four months away; however, it was a lot of work to make these objects. Cyan wanted to look through the feathers to find a pristine one before she can use it for her craft. This was enough to force herself to go through with this chore.

"Look, I know you don't like me and the feeling is mutual. But, I promised Phillip I would do his chores and I am in need the feathers you plucked off yourselves." Cyan explained to the judgmental, exotic birds. She made her way toward their pen and it didn't surprise her when the flock squinted their eyes at her. It did make LeFou freeze in his seat when he realizes Cyan wasn't kidding about them not liking her. "LeFou, avenge my death if I don't come out of here!"

LeFou could only watch in slight horror when she entered the pen. The flock began their assault on the girl as soon as she closed the gate. The females squawked loudly at Cyan while the males unfurled their large tail feathers to try and block her from both the chicks and themselves. She tried to sweep the ground for the feathers until one of the male peacocks pecked at her back and she screams from the blow. The beaks were sharp enough to make her feel pain, leave a bruise, and maybe a few scratches. It did make Cyan agitated about being surrounded by the flock. At this point, she was rushing to sweep up the feathers before the others started to peck at her feet and legs. One of the larger females got a hold of Cyan's hair in her beak and tugged it hard. Cyan tripped when another peacock ran under her feet. ' _What will it take for them to understand I'm not trying to hurt them!?'_ She looked down at herself to see her outfit was getting filthy.

Of course, the one day she wore another favorite outfit was when the peacocks want to wage war on Cyan. Cyan instead now wore a dress with white ruffled material down the front yet had blue sides. The white ruffled short sleeves were the same material as the front of the dress, yet the collar was gray, and seemed to be a bit more firm than flexible. The brown ribbon around her chest sat right below the red string zig-zagging across the white material of her chest. Cyan also wore dark purple stockings and wore her favorite black boots. She didn't like the white fabric on the dress because white shows stains and it was painfully hard to clean. Satin Sally had hung her favorite light blue dress with the other circus' laundry so Cyan had to wear this one until she can be reunited with her other dress.

 _'This day can't possibly get any worse.'_ Cyan thought to herself after she saw her dress had dirt and bird droppings on the front and her stockings was torn on her knees and upper thighs. She looked over when she heard a small peeping noise in front of her. A small, brown peacock chick was looking straight at her from the makeshift nest in the ground. Cyan noticed it had three feathers on its head and realized it was the chick she hatched yesterday. The ball of feathers quickly made its way toward her even though the chick trips in front of her face. She couldn't help but giggle at the chick's downfall. Cyan thought it was just adorable.

"Aw, aren't you a cute little ball off fluff." Cyan cooed at the chick and stroked its beak. The chick made a soft peep as if it was enjoying the attention it was receiving. Her finger was warm to the tiny bird and it didn't want her to stop.

Unfortunately, Cyan's attention quickly changed toward the seven other chicks in the nest. Their eyes narrowed at her before they lunged an attack on her arms and hands. The chicks did little damage to her because they were still babies and they weren't very strong like the adult peacocks. Their pecking felt more like an itchy feeling until they started pecking at small cuts and bruises the adults left on her skin. _'Not even a day old and they already mimic their parents.'_ Cyan thought to herself and scoots an angry chick away from her head. She was ready to get out of the pen and be done with it. Cyan was able to get a good look at the ground and saw there wasn't a lot of feathers. She reaches for a few off the left side of her before she felt someone grab her lower legs and yanked her out of the pen. Whoever was pulling her had firm hands and it felt weird feeling someone else's hands on her person. She felt vulnerable if someone grabbed her by her waist and her legs. However, it doesn't mean she was not grateful for being pulled out. Pain shot through her body when her stomach rubbed against some sharp rocks. She was finally away from the peacocks! Cyan slammed the door closed before her chin hit the soft grass.

"Phew..that was too close for comfort. But, I got some feathers and I doubt those evil birds will need another cleaning for a few days." The young lady sighed in relief and practically sprawled her arms on the grass as an attempt to hug the lush vegetation. "Thanks for getting me out of there, LeFou. If you hadn't gotten me, I would be at the bottom of the 'pecking' order."

"One, please no more jokes. It's painful." LeFou said as he got off from his seat. "And two, I'm way over here. I didn't have time to run over yet."

"What? If you're over there," Cyan began to look up to where LeFou stood. "then who just-."

* * *

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...a CLIFFHANGER. Do not worry I will post the next chapter soon!

So now we know why Cyan doesn't like the peacocks. Sometimes people don't understand that animals can also hold a grudge if they had something hurtful happen to them. The prettiest animals can sometimes be the most dangerous.

Special thanks to my beta readers Lucariofreak55 and RabbitonSteroids!

I only own Cyan and the circus.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

Please no mean comments or flames! Once again, if anyone finds any spelling errors or grammer errors, please PM me and I will fix it!

The dress Cyan is wearing now is based off of Miku Hatsune's Regret dress. I try and stick with clothes that would both fit the era the movie is based in and fit Cyan's position in the circus. Back then, women didn't wear short dresses because they thought exposing their legs was indecent.


	15. Modest proposal?

"It was a good thing I came down to visit. We can't have that pretty face scratched." A proud voice spoke above her.

 _ _'Why does that voice sound eerily familiar?'__ Cyan wondered.

She couldn't get a good look behind her because the sun was facing behind her savior. The sun was hurting her eyes when she tried to look up at her saviors face and the only thing she could distinguish on his person was ten gold buttons on his coat. Somehow, it tugged on Cyan's memory as she tried to figure out who this person was. Not everyone in Villeneuve wore gold buttons. The villagers scrapped what they could to buy fancy clothes and they wouldn't wear these clothes all the time. They would only wear their best if it was a special occasion; there was barely anything to celebrate in the judgmental town of Villeneuve. There was only one person she knows that wore fancy clothes every day.

 _ _'God, please don't torture me like this. Please tell me it's not who I think it is.'__ Cyan silently prayed as she got a good look at the person once she moved her vision away from the sun.

"Fear not, my dear Cyan. I have rescued you from those foul beasts." Her savior was none other than Gaston!

"Thank you for finding my legs, but I will kindly take them back now!" Cyan sarcastically shouts at Gaston and tries to pull away from him.

He had a firm grip on her lower legs though he moved his left hand down to one of her thighs. The end of her dress was folded up so the hunter could see her undergarments. It made the poor girl uncomfortable when Gaston squeezed her thigh and she wanted to get up off the ground and slap him in his smug face.

"I see you're wearing white. I've heard it means the girl is pure. I expect nothing less from you." Gaston smirked.

"Why are you even looking under my dress?! Let go of me!" Cyan felt her face growing warm as she got one of her legs free and slapped his hand off her thigh.

It was sore around where Gaston squeezed though it wasn't unbearable. She dusted the dirt off her shoulders and attempted to wipe her stockings. Small rocks fell through the rips in the stockings and scratched her skin.

"I must say you have firm legs, Cyan." Gaston complimented. The comment alone made Cyan's spine shiver because it sounded more harassment than a compliment.

"The circus makes sure you are fit enough to perform in front of the audience. We can't have weak legs walk across tight ropes or balance on a moving horse." She explained.

Valjean wouldn't let her or any member of the troop to perform dangerous stunts in the show. He made Cyan stretch and run so her legs were sturdy enough to support herself on a horse but flexible enough to still dance and pose for the crowd.

"That's a good thing to have. Your husband would have pleasure in pulling them away. But he needs to be ready to see your true beauty." Gaston leaned down over her head.

Cyan rolled her eyes in disgust. His sexual statements were making her uncomfortable because it was different from his normal 'wooing' methods. Gaston was acting more bolder towards her than he would be in the village. He was also not respecting her personal space as he inched closer to her body. Once again Cyan smelt the mixture of his musk and cologne and it seemed like he put on more cologne to overpower his natural odor. It only made her want to gag from the fumes coming off the hunter.

"Well, thank you again for...'saving' me, but I really should finish my chores." Cyan spun around and quickly made her way to the house.

"Why are you in a hurry? Don't you want to spend some time with your hero?" The hunter watched as she walked toward one of the clothesline behind the house.

"A 'hero' doesn't hold a lady's legs and forces her to lay on the ground! And he certainly doesn't talk about her legs." She called from her spot. The hunter noticed her tone was a mixed of matter-of-fact and embarrassment. He began to wonder if she liked his touch and was just putting on airs to hide her possible affection toward him.

"It's not like we have anything to hide." Gaston shrugged it off as he made his way over. "We always run into each other. Tell me something. Is it fate? Destiny?"

"I doubt a horse has anything to do with my sad predicament." Cyan replied with a hint of snark.

She folded up two of the thirty-seven blankets that was hung to dry. All she wanted to do was hurry and get the laundry so she can get away from him. His presence alone was making her more uneasy. She couldn't figure out why, but it was making her heart pound rapidly like she was a scared rabbit trying to escape the jaws of a ravenous wolf. The said wolf leaned against the side of the house as he watched his potential wife fold the blankets.

"You seem to enjoy my affections. Why must you fight against the hands of fate that draw us together?" Gaston spoke in a dramatic tone.

LeFou began to admire what Gaston was trying to do toward his circus friend. He has heard girls loved the theatrical arts and in the wild, the females would go after the male with the most extravagant appearance to mate. The short man figured it was because the female animals wanted to make sure their babies could have a better chance in survival if their father was one of the best. It defiantly fits Gaston's personality very well because he was like a peacock strutting his stuff or a wolf trying to show dominance in the village.

"We can agree to disagree, Gaston and you are distracting me from my chores. So please go away." Cyan bluntly states.

However, LeFou seriously doubts there is such a creature like Cyan in the animal world. If anything, Cyan reminded him of a house cat. She doesn't want anything to do with certain people and yet they still try to get her attention. A mistake can lead to her clawing the poor soul who made her angry.

Unfortunately, Gaston had a trick or two to calm this feisty feline. Cyan had her back toward him while she started to remove the clips off one of Jacques' white blouses. It was always a miracle if they find any of his clothes in the laundry because he tried to make each outfit last for days. He would wear them front then he wore them back. He turn them inside out and wear them front and back once more. It was both disgusting and ingenious at the same time. However no one wants to hug him if they find out how long he's been wearing the same clothes. Either Cyan or Phillip has to drag him away before he has a chance to hug a unknowing patron. The stench could possibly make wolves run away in fear so that's always a good thing.

Cyan felt hands grab her by the waist and she let out a frightened squeak. She dropped Jacques' blouse when one of the hands moved slowly down the end of her dress and snake its way under her dress. Cyan tried to turn to smack Gaston only he grabbed a hold of her wrists and held them behind her back. LeFou stood by the house's stairs and watched with a puzzling look. He remembered Gaston telling him, "It's the ones that play hard to get are the sweetest prey." It was after Cyan overheard Gaston say their children would be beautiful. The Bimbettes' jealously only grew after they heard those words and if Cyan came back into the village, they would glare at her and gossip about how inappropriate her dress was. Young ladies are supposed to wear short dresses because showing their legs was uncivil in society. However, LeFou thinks Cyan only made it easier for Gaston to find his pleasure. The short man thought Cyan was creative in her dresses and was starting to feel sorry for her because of how Gaston was acting. It was like watching a alpha wolf examine a potential mate before he can rake in his prize. Fortunately, this only lasted for a short time because Cyan kicked Gaston in the shin.

"Ow!" Gaston quickly let go of Cyan.

"My apologizes. There was a huge spider crawling on your foot so I thought I squish it for you." Cyan said in a sickly sweet tone.

 _ _'If only I had a better aim. That wasn't where I wanted to kick you.'__ Her thoughts painted a different perspective on this incident.

"Cyan, I have seen so much of you." Gaston said once he regained his composure. He tried to ignore the throbbing pain in his shin.

"Yet you know so little about me." Cyan dusted the end of her dress.

She quickly took the clothespins off the rest of the laundry and tosses them into the nearby basket. She wanted to hurry up and get inside where Gaston wouldn't dare follow.

"Gaston, I have my own plans. My life should be filled with adventure, unfamiliar territory to explore, and enrich others with my stories. I want to improve my stories to make people imagine the picture more clearly."

Cyan glanced down at the folded sketch of the prince she had tucked inside the basket. Although the man wasn't a very nice person, he could make a good character to teach children what kind of person they shouldn't be. However, Cyan wishes she was in his company than Gastons. She can easily hold her own against this prince and the arguments was more tolerable than the premeditated assault Gaston has given on her person. The hunter was becoming more bold in his approach to her and it was starting to make her uncomfortable. She knew that he was trying to woo her, but why did he change tactics all of a sudden. His first attempts were just flower offerings and smooth words. Valjean once told her courtship can be different for people. It can go very slowly and blossom into affection or go fast and possibly be a match made in the pits of the underworld if the person who is courting is impatient.

"I guess it's alright for women to have their fantasies." Gaston snapped out of her thoughts.

"Excuse me?"

"What is this?" Gaston glanced down at the basket and saw the folded sketch.

"It's a sketch I had one of the members draw." Cyan explains.

She bent down and grabbed the basket by the handle before showing him.

"He was a prince in my dreams. He was also arrogant too so I thought he would make a decent character for my stories. I can probably put him in a children's story so they can learn whom they should not be when they grow up. It'll be a good moral for them to learn."

"Cyan, do you honestly think anyone will listen to these stories? Let's be reasonable. A prince will not even look at them or even be near them. What can silly stories teach them when you can teach your own children. Like how to teach our daughter how to be a good wife. Or making sure our sons are handsome and rugged like their old man." Gaston explained.

"And what, pray tell, do you mean by your words?" Cyan's eye began to twitch.

"Let's face reality, my dear. This circus life isn't right for you. After all, you are the most beautiful girl in town." Gaston flashed a smile at her.

"I beg to differ. I think there are some other young fillies dying to fall into your arms." Cyan mumbled and made her way toward the front door. Her patience was growing very thin with the hunter and still, Gaston pursued behind her.

"You are one of the best. And we both deserve the best in our lives. Don't you agree with me? Won't you become my pretty, little wife?"

"I 'appreciate' your gesture," Cyan almost vomit in her mouth when he said those words. "but I refuse to marry anyone without Monsieur Valjean's approval. He is a decent judge of character."

"Cyan, that man is a fool to not give you away to me. Where is he now?"

"He's not here so don't bother looking for him." Cyan opened the front door and pushed the basket inside.

"Then we can elope!" Gaston quickly stated and grabbed her left wrist. "We can flee from this place and start a new life together! Far from this rundown, flea infested freak show you call a family!"

That was the final nail on his coffin. Little did Gaston know was Cyan had her own trap for him. She was already growing extremely wary of his presence on her own property. Satin Sally has taught her a couple things about how to be a woman, but the best kind of advice she gave besides different ways to cook an egg, was the courting rules on a woman's point-of-view. A courted woman has the option of agreeing or disagreeing to a courtship even if it is a forced arrangement. The reason one agrees to a forced one is because they think it's the only way they can have a good life. That's if the suitor is rich or has a higher status than the one her family currently has. However, it's not always a match made in heaven. The Spanish dancer always told her if there is no love between a couple, it is a horrid life to live.

Gaston is no exception to her advice. Cyan had to kindly refuse his offerings because he always found her when she was in the village. He always found her when she ran errands, visit Père Robert to borrow a book, and when she had to drag Grandpa Apple out of the tavern. It was a trap to make a scene in public where everyone can judge a person more by their actions. Cyan was already gossip among the twitterpated Bimbettes and the rude headmaster so she didn't want anymore judgement upon herself. However, they were far away from the village and Gaston, LeFou, and herself were the only people among the circus' animals. So she can truly give him a piece of her mind.

"Monsueir Gaston, do you want to know what I really think of you?"

"Of course, my darling." Gaston nodded.

LeFou, on the other hand, was shaking his head frantically at his hero. He knew his circus friend was setting her trap and Gaston was already hooked in her web!

"The words I best describe you and I quote: pompous, cold-hearted, and primival!" Cyan started to raise her voice. "I do not care for your affections because it does not change my mind about your image! You may be a war hero, but you certainly do not act like one! You have no right to change me or belittle my circus family when you bully them! I refuse to give you my hand in marriage even if you were the last man in all of my beloved FRANCE!"

Cyan huffs in exasperation before she went inside the house. Gaston was stunned outside the front door at his would-be bride and LeFou noticed he had began to tremble. It was like watching his ego crumble after the cruel words of Cyan the storyteller. Before they could do anything, the redhead came back with a bucket of water in her right hand. It was overflowing with water since some kept spilling as she walked back to the men.

"However, I do believe you need to clean up your act before you ever have a chance with me!" She poured the water over Gaston's head and dropped the bucket onto his head.

He struggled to get the bucket off and stumbled down the stairs. Cyan slammed the door closed, got the laundry basket, and ran toward Cole's room toward his closet. She quickly climbed the ladder up into her room and locked the attic door.

* * *

Finally Cyan has spoken her opinion of Gaston! I hope I gave this chapter justice! If anyone sees any other references in this chapter, I hope it made you laugh.

Once again, special thanks to my beta readers RabbitonSteroids and Lucariofreak55!

If anyone sees a spelling or grammer problem, please PM me and I will fix it as fast as I can!

I only own Cyan and the circus.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney!


	16. Cole's bedtime story

It gave Cyan tremendous pride watching Gaston walk down the road toward Villeneuve. His hair was soaked and sprawled over his shoulders and his forehead. His clothes were half-soaked and she could hear his boots squeak until both he and LeFou were out of sight. Cyan didn't want to leave her room in case Gaston was waiting for her to leave the house. However, it didn't take long for the circus troop to return home. She saw everyone coming back from the forest, and quickly unlocked her door before climbing down the ladder. Satin Sally was surprised to see her adopted daughter run out of the house and Cyan almost tackled her down to the ground in a hug.

"Nina, what's wrong? We weren't gone but a few hours. Honestly, you act like you haven't seen us in years," Satin Sally lightly scolds her.

"Mama, you won't believe what happened to me today.." Cyan said in an almost low voice.

That one little word made her protective instincts flare up. Cyan rarely called her 'mama' ever since her real mother abandoned her. The only time she would call her that was if something bad happened... Satin Sally's heart stopped as Cyan explained what happened after the peacock attack. This was her first baby, her first child even though she wasn't blood related. Although Cyan's innocence wasn't violated, despite she didn't have the purest of minds, it still made everyone mad that Gaston tried to take their storyteller away. Most of the troop members were victims of a violent past before joining the Golden Dream Circus and they didn't want the younger members to be a part of that. They try to shield them from the horrors of human imperfections and show them the world isn't as bad as the critics say it was. However, Jacque had a different point-of-view of this almost tragedy.

"Why did you drop my blouse?! Now I'm going to smell like grass until the next wash!" He shouted.

"Jacque, can we not focus on your stupid shirt and focus on Gaston's foolish affections." Rebecca said after she whacked him upside the head.

"I don't see what the big deal is. Cyan is perfectly capable of holding him off her. I mean, sure he's muscularly built; Cyan is more well read and knows some pretty sneaky tricks to escape and possibly embarrass the moron." Jacque rubbed the back of his head.

"Do you think he'll tell anyone in the village?" Bella asked while she dusted Cyan off of potential 'Gaston germs'.

"I doubt it. He's got a pretty big reputation in that place." Phillip crossed his arms and sat down on a nearby tree stump.

"He wouldn't brag about forcing a woman on the ground while he inspected her legs." Rebecca adds.

"That burro of a man shouldn't get away with this! I want to see some punishment!" Satin Sally huffed.

"Mama, if we did anything we would only get into more trouble. The villagers already don't like us." Cole looked up at his mother with a irritated look.

"That's true. But maybe if someone heard Gaston got rejected by Cyan, everyone would know and he would be discouraged from the villagers knowing he failed at something!" Jacque explained with a cocky grin.

"That's a brilliant idea! Jacque, your genius is showing." Cyan smiled wide.

"Where?!" Jacque quickly covered himself with his arms and looked around fast.

The troop laughed at their confused and embarrassed jester's reaction to Cyan's compliment. Satin Sally couldn't help but join in their merriment and laugh too. These moments were becoming rare since the circus came to Villeneuve and she missed them terribly. She missed the smiles, the laughter, and the little things they used to do as a family. The circus has their good and bad times, but the members always stuck together and made sure they had each others' back. The animals once were able to roam outside their pens and wagons as long as someone was keeping a close eye on them. Their peacocks used to roam freely and Cyan would stay very far away from the beautiful birds. The elephants would enjoy a nice bath given by the troop and they would sometimes throw mud at them to help their human friends cool. However, it ends up being a mud fight between the humans and anything that was in their way. The giraffes would just eat and stay away from the fight. The horses would easily trot away from the fight and graze on their food. Everyone would be sure not throw mud at the tigers; or risk having Rebecca yelling in their ears.

Satin Sally missed those days. She knew they couldn't always afford the finest things but they were happy with what they had. Each member has had their bad days before joining the circus. Whether they faced sexual abuse, domestic abuse, or born different from everyone. It is hard to get over a painful past and sometimes it's not easy talking about it or easy to forget those memories. It's also not easy being in a toxic family that forces someone to strive to be trash or be successful in something a person hated with a passion. Satin Sally often overheard the older members talk about their painful memories to the younger members so they can see they were not alone in the world. They understood their agony and know what kind of torture they went through until the circus found them. That was something which never changed after they arrived to Villeneuve. Despite the judgment and the queer looks the villagers gave them, everyone didn't change their outlook on life just so they can receive acceptance. They wanted to have fun and enjoy themselves whist they still can.

"But still, can you imagine me. The wife of that boorish, brainless-" Cyan began to describe Gaston. The circus' musicians practically beamed in glee because Cyan has been talking about doing a small song with them if she tried to describe Gaston. They wanted to strum up the band and play their hearts out for the troop to hear. They haven't been able to play a funny tune since their trip from Sherwood Forest in England.

"Cyan, this isn't the time to start one of your songs. We have to get ready and bunker down before the storm comes this way." Satin Sally interrupted.

"But, but, but-" Cyan and the musicians both stammered.

"Nada! Do you want to be outside in the storm?!"

"No, madam.." The small, disheartened group muttered under their breathe.

"You can play your song another day. Now, let's batten down the barrels, cover the wagons, and get the animals in a safe place until the storm blows over. Some of us can stay in the house tonight!" Satin Sally spoke.

"I'm gonna stay with the tigers. I want to make sure Shiva doesn't stress herself and make the cubs come early." Rebecca said and ran toward the tiger's wagon.

"The peacocks will be alright if we get them into their wagon and cover the wagon up with the tarps. But the runt of the chicks may need to come inside the house." Phillip explained as he picked up the smallest peacock chick.

The chick squirmed in the strongman's hands once it caught Cyan in its sight. Phillip bent down to put it on the ground and the little bird immediately wobbled toward the redhead. Cyan only flinched when the chick rubbed its head against her right leg and chirped a happy noise. It closed its eyes in bliss as it kept rubbing against her and everyone else was staring at what seemed to be a strange phenomena to them. Everyone in the circus knows peacocks hated Cyan with a deep grudge and it was surprising to see a baby peacock not trying to peck at her.

"I think he wants to stay with you, Cyan." Jacque smirked.

"How can you tell its a boy?!"

"I have a way of knowing this stuff." He puffed out his chest with pride.

It didn't help her case. Cyan didn't have time to argue with the jester because Satin Sally made them get to work. The sky was beginning to get dark from the storm clouds rolling toward them and the village. Animals were the first priority especially the giraffes. They had to be inside the barn because they were the tallest animals the circus had. Everyone was worried of the tall creatures getting hit by lightning or running away from the farm because they were spooked from the storm. The elephants were another animal to worry about. Their pachyderms were docile around the circus members because they were safe with them around. They really liked Cole because he played with their youngest member of the herd. The elephants knew their routine with the acrobats and the knife throwers, balancing the tigers on their backs, and knew if their food had a bad piece of fruit or dry leaves in it. However, their attitude change fast if something either scare or agitate them. No one wants to be human pancakes if the elephants stampede over them.

The members spent hours trying to get the animals to a dry place because some of them were too stubborn to move. They had a good laugh, though, watching the peacocks attempt to peck at Cyan when she and Jacque tried to cover their pen with a tarp. Once again, it was just a deep grudge toward the poor girl that should've died years ago. It was all fun and games until rain began to pour down hard on the circus. Everyone scrambled around the property, trying to tie down barrels of wine and horse feed, covering the remaining wagons with tarps or blankets, and then trying to find a dry place to stay for the night.

Rebecca kept her word and stayed in the tigers wagon once it was fully covered from the rain. But she was only one of thirty-four that already had shelter. The circus has thirty-six members; however, Valjean and Grandpa Apple were not there so the number went down by two. A lot of people wanted to stay inside the house, but the small house cannot fit everyone so they all had hurry inside before Satin Sally closed the door. It may seem harsh, but she wasn't going to let someone in the bed Valjean and her shared, Cole's room, or Cyan's room. No one wanted to go in Cyan's room to begin with because they heard she had a morning temper if someone wakes her up too early or woke her up in the middle of the night. So fourteen of the members remained outside and let the others go inside the house. Some slept in makeshift tents made out of leftover tarp and broken pieces of wood to bar the rain out. The others slept with the animals in the barn or made hammocks on the second story ceiling or slept in the hay and straw on the second story. Needless to say, they were going to make it through the stormy night. Inside the house was a different story: the rest of the circus didn't have to breathe in musky odor like the ones in the barn. However, they had to find different ways to make their beds.

Cyan could barely contain her laugh seeing how the others had to sleep in. She saw them fight over a comfy pillow Bella had found in the living room. The pillow had ripped open and unleashed a cloud of feathers on the floor. Phillip was a true gentlemen by gathering some of the feathers and stuff it into half of the ruined fabric so she could have something to lay her head on. Jacque was desperate enough to use one feather to lay his head on while he slept on the floor with a raggedy blanket. His clothes and blankets never seem to be washed very often and so it would look disgusting from a strangers point of view. The rest of them found creative things to sleep on: the woodpile by the fireplace, the large chest in the living room, the cupboard in the kitchen, and hallway floor. The sleeping arrangement wasn't so bad since they weren't in the rain so they made the best of it.

However, Cyan went to bed without supper because they didn't have enough time to fix dinner before the storm arrived. She gave up her portion to Cole and Bella and so she only had a cup of water. Cole was settling down for bed and Satin Sally was going to tuck him in. Cyan had to bunk with the peacock chick who seem to have imprinted on her. The tiny fluff was running around her attic room and tripped over one of Cyan's toy wooden soldiers on the floor. She was clearing her toys off her bed and the chick wasn't looking where it was going. Although it was funny to watch, Cyan wasn't paying much attention.

 _'I'm so hungry..! I wonder what kind of food that prince is having.'_ Cyan thought to herself. She started to remember the arrogant prince invited her to dinner.

"He only invited me when Prince Ali kept giving me compliments. Is it even worth going if he's going to insult me in front of his staff. But on the other hand, he must have delicious food since he is a prince. Is food worth being treated like dirt by your host." Cyan mumbled to herself.

Her stomach growled loudly and she leaned over her bed to muffle it out. She was too hungry to think or even care. All she wanted was something to eat and something else to drink besides water.

"I'll go only for the food. He said dinner is at eight o'clock." Cyan said to herself before she flipped on her back.

She glanced over at her dresser to see her mother's rusty glass clock. It was a old looking clock that her mother hated and so she gave it to Cyan before she sold her to the circus. There was nothing wrong with the clock; it told the time correctly, the gears were always kept clean, and it was reliable. Cyan thought her mother didn't like it because it wasn't pretty. The clock was also a present from a lord who wanted her to be his concubine before she married Cyan's father. It wasn't the finest clock in the world; it did give Cyan an interesting story to tell if she ever got the chance. The rusty clock told it was seven-thirty. She had enough time to find something nice and meet the prince in her dream.

"Cyan, are you up here?" Satin Sally called from the attic entrance. She poked her head up and steadied herself on the ladder.

"I was about to go to lay down after I made the fluff of terror a bed." Cyan gestured to the peacock chick who was currently sound asleep on a pile of blankets Cyan had left.

"Seems to me you are already finished."

"Is this important?"

"Cole refuses to go to sleep unless he gets a story tonight."

"Oh, I have a solution for that." Cyan hopped from her bed and got her fairy-tale book from her bag before making her way toward the Spanish dancer. She dropped the book in front of her. "And thus, I return to my bed."

"Get back here." Satin Sally got her by her stockings.

"What?! It has stories that you can read to him. I know you can read!"

"Cole doesn't want fairy-tales, nina. He wants you to make up a story. And I am too tired to read to him!"

"But, but, but-" Cyan stuttered only to silence when her adopted mother gave her the evil eye. "Yes ma'am.."

"I'm glad you are being a good big sister." Satin Sally smiled before letting go of Cyan and climbed down the ladder.

Cyan groaned in annoyance. Cole could be hard to put to sleep even if she told a story to him. If she made the story too exciting, there was a chance he will ask for another story. She had to deal with this so Satin Sally wouldn't get mad at her for refusing a story. Cyan was flattered Cole liked her stories, but she had a promise to keep at eight o'clock. Despite she was forced to go and there was witnesses that saw her agree to this dinner.

The young lady climbed down the ladder and made her way into her younger brother's room. Cole was tucked into his bed and Satin Sally kissed his forehead before she came over to Cyan and kissed her forehead as well. They watched as their mother walked out of the room.

"Okay, let's get this over with so I can go to bed." Cyan said.

"You don't look tired, Cyan." Cole retorted. "You don't have bags under your eyes."

"No, it's a different kind of tired. You can't see it, but I am tired of Gaston and his mediocre advances." Cyan shivered.

"I hear he has his own song in the tavern."

"Ugh, that's the last thing I need: a song about him!" Cyan fell on his bed and sighed.

Cole laughed at his adopted sister flailing her arms in exasperation. It was always a treat to watch his sister's predicament. She was over dramatic over a song about Gaston, but Cole knew she will find a way to make it funny for the circus. If Cyan had a chance to hear it, the circus can have their own version of it so they can laugh and have a little fun against the hunter. However, they would have to do it quietly or out of sight so they wouldn't get into trouble again.

"Okay, little mister, what do you want to hear? A story or a rant?"

"I prefer a story if we ever get to it. By the time you finally stop flustering, I'll be a very old man." Cole retorted.

"Excuse me?! I am not flustered! I am angry! I have dignity! I am-"

"You are too loud! Some of us are trying to sleep!" Jacque called from the living room.

"Oh hush up!" Cyan yelled back.

"Do you have a new Flynn the Daring adventure?" Cole sat up eagerly. He wanted to get a story right now and he wasn't going to wait if the storyteller and jester start yelling at each other.

"No, I didn't have time to think of one."

"What?! Why!?"

"Sorry I was too busy trying to escape a mediocre hunter's grasp that I forgot." Cyan sarcastically said and looked over at Cole.

The young boy had his arms crossed, slightly pouting, and he looked very disappointed. She knew he liked hearing her Flynn the Daring stories. He would pretend their baby elephant was his noble steed and battle imaginary foes to rescue the mop princess. He would use the spare mop so he can have a damsel in distress. However, it became a pain if someone had mopping duty in the wagons and they needed the spare mop.

 _'Cole really likes Flynn. Maybe I can tell him a adventure he's already heard._ ' Cyan thought to herself and tapped her chin lightly. _'No, he knows them too well. He'll want a new story.'_

Then she thought of a story and she thought it up quick. It wasn't a Flynn the Daring story, but it was something new for him. Maybe a little risque if she doesn't manage it because Cole is still a young boy and she doesn't need Satin Sally finding out about it. But it completely up to Cole's imagination so Cyan is praying to God that he doesn't get the wrong idea.

"Mister Cole, a thousand pardons for this fool's mistake. I have misjudged my situation and bring great shame in front your shining presence." Cyan explained as she bowed her head and kicked the room door shut with her left foot.

"Eh?" Cole said confusingly at her.

"But fear not! I will spin you a tale that will bewilder your mind and satisfy your imagination!"

"Could you hurry up before I die from boredom?" Cole ruined her moment before resting back into his pillow.

"As you wish, effendi." Cyan bowed again, but she was twitching her eye in annoyance. She didn't like it when someone ruined her dramatic intro.

Cyan sat looked at the candle by his bed and took a deep breath. This wasn't like telling a story to a large crowd. This is her adopted little brother and she wants her story to be good but also not get her into trouble if Cole misinterpreted.

"Once upon a time, there was a young woman in France. She wasn't like the normal people in the pleasant country. The woman had no parallel in her looks and she didn't have physical flaws. She didn't have a missing arm, a leg, or any abrasions on her skin. The woman didn't socialize with the social butterflies of the rich and she didn't fit in with the middle class. She was put into the poorest class where the rich called the people gypies, and low class ruffians. However, she was different from the poor and so she was truly the belle of the ball."

"What's a belle?" Cole asked.

"It's french for beauty."

"Why is she in a ball? That has to be painful. She's going to be bounced and thrown around easily."

"Cole, a ball is also a name for dancing at a fancy social gathering."

"Then why is it called a ball?"

"I don't know. It's just called that. I guess they wanted to shorten it and call it a ball instead of a gathering."

"What happens in a ball?"

"They mostly dance in a ball. The waltz is a preferred dance in it."

"Oh, so it's something you would stay away from because you look like a dancing chicken with its head cut off when you try and dance a fancy dance."

Cole laughed in his pillow when Cyan lunged a tickle attack at him. She tickled his sides, his ribs, under the arms, and finally before giving the finishing blow.. she rolled his shirt up and blew on his stomach which made him squeal and laugh profusely.

"Now should we return to the story?" Cyan asked while she regained her posture. Cole was currently trying to stop giggling. "The woman didn't want anything to do with the rich because she already knew how cruel they were to her kind. Just as her own mother was to her after her father died unexpectedly. The young woman was thrown out of her family at the tender age of seven. Since that day, she believed love was a rare thing in the world. She only knew the love of a father toward his daughter, but she never felt true love for another person. She adored the people she surrounded herself with: the tattered and torn, the physical unable, and of course the people who didn't care about class. These people knew how cruel the world was because they were also different from society's standards."

"Despite knowing this, she refused to be like her vainful mother and struggled to find her place in the world. Women were toys to some men and treated like dolls to show off how much she is worth or be cast aside in the streets if they disobeyed or make a mistake. However, the young woman had more resolve than those dolls. She refused to make a fool of herself just to gain attention of a brute man or sell herself to become a unfortunate concubine."

"What's a concubine?"

"I'll tell you when you're older."

"Why?!"

"If I tell you now, Satin Sally will bury me alive and dance on my grave," Cyan grimaced, "One day, the woman was shamed for telling poor children stories. The rich or the poor didn't want her to give the children hope that they could be something else than what they were 'supposed' to do. One of her suitors came and shamed the crowd for patronizing her. His intentions may have seemed sincere, but he had a different agenda. He wanted to marry her because she was one of the best. He didn't care if she had other abilities. He only wanted her only for her beauty."

"Why does that sound familiar?" Cole began to yawn.

"We have ran into men who only treat women like dolls so it wouldn't surprise me if it does." Cyan retorted and began to tuck him in again. "Should I stop there? You're getting tired."

"Nooo. I want to know what happened next."

"The woman wanted nothing to do with the man. So she turned him away. If she wanted to marry, she would try and find a husband herself. While she was returning home, she noticed a poor woman in the street. She was dirty from the grime of the town. So the young woman helped her up and gave her some food in her home. Her guest was touched by her generosity and felt pity on her living quarters. Her home was just a shack with very few discarded furniture. So she gave the woman an invitation to a royal ball that was going to start in an hour. She was on her way to the ball when she sprained her ankle and fell into the grime. The only clean accessory she had on her person was a white eye mask."

Cyan noticed Cole was beginning to doze off from the way his eyelids were half closed. She carefully closed his eyelids and pulled the covers under his chin. He looked so peaceful in his sleep. Cole was just another playful boy trying to enjoy his life and the villagers always judged his parents because of what they were. Cyan didn't want Cole to experience what she did when she was a little girl. But she already knew he wasn't going to feel what she did when her mother sold her to the Golden Dream Circus. Satin Sally loves her son with all her heart; there was no way she would trade him for anything in the world.

"Good night, mister Cole." Cyan whispered softly as she straightened her posture and took a spare candle from his bedside dresser drawer. "Dream of adventure and excitement. We will continue our tale another night."

Cyan lit the candle in her hand before blowing out Cole's candle. She quietly made her way toward the ladder and climbed up into her attic room. She surveyed the room so make sure no one else was there except for the sleeping peacock chick in the blankets on the floor. Her toys was set far away from her bed and her favorite doll was still on her bed. Cyan carefully picked up her doll and set him on a bookshelf. She wanted to see if her suspensions were true once she ate the candy. First, she had to change out of her clothes. Cyan stripped her dress off, before she quickly changed into a simple black dress with a red bow tied in the back. The dress went her knees and she had Bella pick out the bow when Cyan was telling a story about the ravened widow during one of the circus' performance in England. She opened the candy bag that was under her pillow.

" _Here I go."_ Cyan thought to herself and popped a candy in her mouth. Once again, it was sweet and really bittersweet when she swallowed it. It seemed like it was even more bitter than the previous one. She quickly put on the white eye mask and climbed under her covers and laid down. She could hear her stomach rumble as she waited to fall asleep.

Thoughts danced in her head as she began to wonder what kind of food the prince would have for dinner. Royalty had no limits in food so there could anything at the dinner. Turkey, creamed potatoes, chocolate pudding, it could be anything; even caviar. A yawn let itself known as she covered her mouth and began to hear the rain dwindle more until she heard nothing and saw darkness when she closed her eyes.

* * *

Good afternoon everyone!

This summer is turning out to be the best summer ever! I have my beta readers RabbitonSteroids here and Lucariofreak55 coming to see me! Rabbit has helped me make sure this chapter is decent enough to post!

I will be working on two chapters next time so it may take a little bit or not. I did get a comment about how my last chapter was kinda like "The King and I." I have never seen this movie nor have I heard about it. The soundtrack is on iTunes so I'm kinda surprised. ^^

So now Cyan had to tell a bedtime story to Cole. Will she make it to the dinner in time or will the prince be mad if she's late?

Special thanks to my beta readers RabbitonSteroids and Lucariofreak55!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the circus.

Please no mean comments or flames! I love it when you all comment on my chapters! It helps me stay motivated to write faster! X3


	17. Second night: The servant boy

" _My bed is hard as the floor!"_ Cyan thought to herself once she felt her back starting to ache. She wanted to sleep a little bit longer and enjoy the warmth she had found. It was strange because the attic could be chilly on a rainy night. She didn't hear the rain anymore even if she tried to listen hard enough. It was nothing but silence all around her. She liked it. She thought about just staying there and sleep just a few minutes more until she stretched out her arms and her right elbow hit a chair leg hard. Pain shot through her body as her conscious made her realize she was injured and how bad it hurt to move her right elbow.

"Ow, ow, ow! That really hurt!" Cyan recoiled her arm quickly.

It was a very painful way to wake up from a peaceful slumber. This was definitely not a way Cyan wanted to wake up from. Her vision was still blurry and she was trying get out of her abrupt slumber despite the agony in her elbow. She rubbed her eyes with her left hand and took a look at the chair she bumped into. The chair was a huge throne made out of gold! Golden frames on the exterior, two lions perched off the side on top of the throne, thin gold staffs on the sides that were wielded to the 'wings' of the throne, and the seat of the throne was up maybe two feet from the ground. The cushion was dark yellow and was almost overlooked due to almost blending into the piece of furniture.

"The prince isn't very big or tall when he sits on this monstrosity of a chair! Maybe he's compensating for something." Cyan chuckled to herself.

She slowly got up, rubbing her right elbow, and looked over the golden throne. It was pretty to look at, but she began to wonder how much did it cost just to make it. Gold wasn't cheap and to even have a tiny nugget of gold would be worth a year's pay. Cyan could recall stories of how gold drove a man's mind wild and abandon his friends in the jungle after they found a whole temple of gold before his ship sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Gold was a status symbol in the rich society. It meant if you had enough gold in your possession, you were a very powerful and wealthy man.

"Too much gold can be poison to the life of a person. Maybe he gets it because he's not good at small talk." Cyan began to laugh thinking of the prince in such a foolish situation. "He would really be compensating for something if that's the case!"

Cyan laughed harder and hunched over the throne's handle. She wanted to tell more jokes like that ever since she came to Villeneuve. Cyan had to hold them back because not everyone thought it was funny, and that a girl shouldn't read or talk from her mind. It seems almost universal in society, but Cyan and other girls can be ahead of their time and people are just afraid of them. At least that is what Cyan thinks. Valjean never told her to be quiet or stop what she loved to do. He encouraged her to be herself whether it was behind closed doors or outside those doors.

"Ah, I am divine comedy if I only try," Cyan rubbed her eyes and stood back up, "But this throne is uncomfortable to laugh over. I'd have a short temper if I sat in this chair for a long time."

Cyan looked around the room once she remembered where the throne was the last time she saw it. She was in the ballroom and she was the only person in it. The floors was cleaned and polished from dirt, the small platforms above the ballroom floor was devoid of servants and musicians. The forty-five women were also gone so it was a blessing to Cyan. The girls were nothing but preened chickens in her eyes. Chickens and dolls dressed to impress a wolf of a prince. He is a wolf due to his temper, his ravenous choice of fashion, and his excessive use of white makeup. Despite that, there was something that struck Cyan's curiosity and that was when that pompous prince glared at Prince Ali when the man gave her his attention. Prince Ali's words were like soft velvet that lavished her soul whilst the hot-tempered prince's words were like fire spited her skin and burn away any imperfections she had. Both the prince's were opposite beings in a mirror; total different beings on a spectrum of heavenly and hellish designs. If her soon-to-be host was like a wolf, Prince Ali was like a lamb. Mild-tempered, compassionate, and not overly dressed was what made Prince Ali a gentlemen. Cyan giggled when she remembered how the wolfy prince felt threatened just by a tender lamb's gestures to his guests and his own staff.

 _'Yes, those two princes are like a mirror. They are completely different from each other. But it was fun seeing that egoistical prince after I plummet his face in the cranberry sauce!'_ Cyan thought to herself. Although, it wasn't so much fun when Satin Sally saw the food stains on her own clothes. She hated lying to her. Cyan had no choice.. would she even believe she got at the stains from the food fight in a dream with a prince?!

"Why am I even back here in the ballroom?" Cyan asked herself and turned her attention back to the room she was in.

It didn't make sense. Why was she even back in the ballroom if she had a dinner to attend? Yes, she first arrived in this room and she was even in the room when Cole woke her up back in her room. Did that have anything to do with coming back here? Cyan's head began to hurt as she tried to figure it out. Her head was pounding and her stomach was empty of food. However, the young redhead did like how the ballroom floor looked without anyone on it. In the center of the room was a unique pattern that was too big for her to see so she had to climb the golden throne and sit on the top frame's lions. Once she did, it was a better look of the pattern. It was like looking at a giant mirror that was embedded into the floor. The handle detail went from the middle of the room to the doorway into the castle and the top was stubby yet long enough to reach the end of the throne. The sides of the mirror detail stretched toward the small platforms and the center of the mirror was a large gray circle with either a crown or a cursive W.

"This...is...amazing!" Cyan looked around and stifle her squeal by covering her face. It was a true work of art and she couldn't wait to use it in a story.

"Hello, miss?" A small voice came from below.

"Huh?"

"What are you doing on his highness' chair?"

Cyan moved her hands away to see who was talking to her. At first she didn't see anyone in the room until she looked in front of the throne. There was a little boy with shaggy brown hair which looked like it was combed then messed up or he didn't bother to brush it. He wore a long sleeved white shirt, a gray vest, white tights with brown trousers, and gray shoes with a bronze buckle on each shoe. Cyan gave a startled shout and lost her grip on the throne before she fell back hard on the floor. The impact to the floor made her whole body ache once she realized how hard the floor really was. The back of her head hurt more than her back. Cyan winced when she started to sit up and rub her sore head.

"Ah..I know the floor has to be hard but that really, really hurt!" Cyan barely looked over at the boy when he ran over to her side.

"Sorry, ma'am! I didn't mean to startle you!"

"No, it's fine. Your presence just blew me away." Cyan mustered a smile at the boy despite the lingering pain.

"I did?" The boy smiled widely. It almost gave him joy to know he frightened a stranger.

"Of course. I didn't see you in here before and it blew me off this overgrown chair."

"You mean the prince's throne?"

"It's still expensive and shiny so it's the same thing." Cyan shrugged.

The boy began to laugh at her joke and it made her smile. She hasn't made a random child laugh in a long time since she came to Villeneuve. It made her nostalgic from telling fairy tales and stories she made up to children after Rebecca had the tigers do their tricks. But where did this child come from? Cyan doesn't remember seeing him at the ball so she wondered if he was just the son of one of the servants or one of the ladies at the dance. That would be selfish if a mother brought her child here alone while she danced to impress royalty. Or maybe he had a sister who was part of the flock. What was the prince even worth to these women?!

"Why were you on the prince's throne? Mama said we can't be on it except for the prince." The boy interrupted her thoughts and she looked back down at him.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Are you a princess?"

"Certainly not. Those bright colors don't look good on me." Cyan gestured to her black dress. "I think dark colors represent me very well."

"Are you one of the prince's friends?"

"Does he even have friends with that temper of his?"

"He's not always mean. He lets me have some sweets even though mama said I shouldn't have any before bed."

"Are you sure he just gives you the bitter treats?" Cyan asked and stood up from the floor.

The boy slowly began to realize that prince would always choose the candy first before he could get a sample. He always thought the prince just liked bitter candy and that's why there was so much in the kitchen! Cyan could only laugh at the boys scrunched up face once he realized the prince's trickery. It wasn't the first time Cyan seen this kind of situation. When Cole was still a toddler, they would try and sneak past Grandpa Apple in the middle of the night to steal a few candied apples from his cart. He would make them in the evening and let the sweet syrup harden around the apples he handpicked from either fruit vendors or nearby apple trees the circus pass through on their journey. If Cole irritated Cyan tremendously, she would pick the sweetest out of the bounty and make him eat the tartest candied apple. Cole would always pucker up once he took a bite out of it which made his older adopted sister laugh at his predicament. However, she didn't know exactly how close this prince was to the boy so she couldn't understand if he did it to be playful or he was just being mean.

"There's no better treat than a candied apple," Cyan explained, "Especially if it's made by the Golden Dream Circus."

"What's the Golden Dream Circus?" The boy titled his head in confusion.

"It's a magical circus, my boy."

"A circus?!" His eyes shined with excitement.

Cyan giggled while she sat down on the throne. The golden chair was too big for the poor boy to climb because he kept slipping or losing his grip and fall on his bottom as a result. Cyan only shook her head a bit before offering a hand to him. He looked up at her and saw her smile inviting him to take her hand. The boy didn't know why because she was just a stranger to him. He remembered some of the staff talking about how the prince was angry at a girl for insulting him after he called her a black sheep. They said she wore a gypsy outfit and a white eye mask. No one could see what she looked like without it but they did say she had pretty blue eyes. What was odd to them was the prince invited this woman to dinner after another prince offered to take her away from the dance. However, the boy didn't understand why the prince thought she was rude because she was now helping him to her lap.

"Look there and see the tale I will spin for your merriment." Cyan instructed him.

"But that's all tile. How can I see what you're describing?" The confused boy asked.

"All you have to do is let your mind wander and there you will find the vision I describe." Cyan rested her hands on his own.

His hands were tiny compared to her own. Somehow, it reminded her of when Valjean described what the circus was when Cyan was sold to him. Back then she was afraid of what was going to happen to her because she was just a scared little girl whom a vain mother threw away like trash. When the ringleader began to describe what his circus was about, Cyan's fears melted away and her heart fluttered when he used his hat to help illustrate his vision. His hat was magical; she always wanted to use it to describe her stories. But for now, imagination is simplicity at best.

"The Golden Dream Circus is the most wonderful thing in the world. It has acrobats flying through the air, knife throwers with impeccable aim, and a jester who could make you laugh by making a fool of himself. There are dancers to enchant you into their prancing and their rhythmic movement. Strongmen to mystify you with their strength and the ringleader will be your guide into this fantastic group." Cyan explained as she recalled their many members and their acts.

"Does it have animals?"

"Oh yes. The animals are a large part of the circus. They have horses that gallop around and the acrobats, who would land on their backs or jump off the horses to get to the next platform. Tigers and their tamer performing on their chairs, or onto the elephants who give them a ride around the ring. The elephants waved at the crowd and sometimes took a sweet or two from the audience before going along to help with the knife throwers act. The giraffes would help bring the acrobats up high above the crowd. The circus also had peacocks; the males would shimmer their tail feathers for the females who follow the strongmen they like the most. The crowd love to see the males scurry to gain their attention."

"Wooow." The boy couldn't contain his amazement at the descriptions. He wanted to see this circus for himself and Cyan could tell.

"Oh, but this circus had a storyteller in their group. She would unravel tales of adventure and mystery to the audience. She could recite the great bard William Shakespeare with wit and perfect timing. Things are not always what they seem in her stories-" Cyan began to explain.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" A loud voice screamed in the room. The room was so empty that the voice bounced off the walls and made it louder than it should have. The two flinched before turning their attention to the door across from the throne. The large doors were opened, and standing on the platform stairs was a man with light brown hair tied back in a ponytail bow. He wore a extravagant dark purple suit that had golden swirls from his sleeves to his tail coat. Underneath was a clean white dress shirt with a ruffled around the chest. He also wore white stockings and black shoes with a golden buckle on each foot. Cyan couldn't get a good look at his face, yet an opportunity like this wasn't about to easily slip away.

"Uh...hark! A beast has squandered into the throne room!" Cyan shouted and made the boy laugh.

"What do you mean by that?!"

"I think it's self-explanatory."

"Do you not recognize me?!"

"A very angry man?"

"I am the prince!"

"You're not wearing your clown make-up? I almost didn't recognize you."

* * *

Cyan is back and she has met another staff member!

I apologize for not posting these sooner, but don't worry this isn't the only chapter I am posting tonight ^^

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the circus.

Please if you see any mistakes please PM me! Please no mean comments or flames!

I welcome your comments! It helps me stay motivated!


	18. Second night: A royal dinner

Cyan was ready to shield the boy from the prince's rage against her. The prince's face was beginning to turn red when she called him a clown. The boy was just an innocent bystander in this little 'fight' of theirs and Cyan didn't want him to get in trouble because of her. To her surprise, the prince knew that the boy was in the room because he turned his attention to the small child and his face slowly returned to its normal color. His posture straightened up and he pulled the rim of his jacket up higher. He cleared his throat and coughed in his left closed fist.

 _ _'Does he have a soft spot for the boy?'__ Cyan thought to herself. She hasn't see him like this even if she's only known the prince for only a night.

"Your mother is looking for you. Why don't you go see her. She's in the kitchen." The prince said to the boy.

"Oh, really? I better go, miss. It was nice meeting you!"

"The honor was all mine. I hope you get something sweet to eat later on, you sweet boy." Cyan hugged him close.

The boy smiled widely, returning the hug before running past the prince and out of the ballroom. He seemed like a good kid and she hoped that one day she could see him in the crowd cheering the troop on. It would lift their spirits to see young people cheer during a show. A circus like Valjean's was always a treat for the misfortune and the young so Cyan really hopes the boy will be in the crowd before Valjean moves the troop away.

Unfortunately, Cyan still had to deal with the prince. Once they were left in the ballroom, the prince revealed his true colors to her. Once he realized the boy was out of the room, the prince immediately glares at her with both disgust and annoyance. __'Oh now I see how you play out this act.'__ Cyan thought to herself as he made his way toward her. She didn't want to be on that golden throne any moment longer. It was starting to hurt her just sitting there. Gold wasn't the most comfortable thing to sit on even if there was a cushion on the seat. The fluffiest and softest cushion couldn't handle the metal and Cyan began to wonder what was the use of the throne is all it does is give the sitter utter discomfort.

"You. Are. Late!" The prince yelled in her face.

"I am? You said to arrive at eight o'clock." Cyan said innocently.

"You are fifteen minutes late! What in the world were you doing?!"

"I had other important things to take care of first."

"What was so important to be late for dinner?! I could be ravishing myself in my tub filled with the most expensive champagne. Instead, I'm waiting for a gypsy girl who cannot even tell the time and show up when she's expected to!"

"That is a waste of champagne and not even holy water can wash away your filthy, egoistical personality." Cyan retaliated and was nose to nose with him.

"I bet you cannot even afford that kind of pleasure!"

"Why would I waste money on that?! It's for the pigs and clowns of the rich!"

"I am not a clown, gypsy!"

"I am not a gypsy!"

"S-Sire?" A lone servant was hiding behind the door the prince came in from.

"WHAT?!" He screamed before turning his head over.

The servant was just a young, dark skinned woman in a white dress. Her dress looked more like a feather duster because the dress from the waist down was feathery. Her hair was curly whitish-blonde with several white feathers in some of the curls. She looked like a charming, petite young woman and Cyan started to envy her to be able to feel confident in a pure white dress. Cyan may own a white nightgown, but it was different world in clothing. Colors represent a trait or a personality on a human being; clothes can send a message to the world depending on the type of clothing and color it is. A white nightgown meant safety or a slate that is constantly cleaned to hide the blemishes in the a person's life. A white dress meant a person was confident to show whatever he or she pleases. White could also be changed into whatever color a person desires and show off their quality. Cyan wondered if this woman had a lover and he liked that dress of hers.

"Dinner is ready." The servant woman said.

"Thank you, mademoiselle." Cyan spoke out from behind the prince.

"Oh, you must be the guest tonight!"

"Yes, it seems I am a little late." Cyan sheepishly said to her.

"Oh non, non! Do not worry!" She waved her hand to reassure her. "The chief has just finished preparing your wonderful feast! His highness was already angry for the delay."

"That will be all! You are dismissed for tonight!" The prince yelled at her.

Cyan was starting to think coming to the dinner was a bad idea. There is so much ignorance and rudeness she could stand. She kept an eye at the servant as the prince got Cyan's arm and pulled her along out the room. The servant didn't look upset over being scolded so maybe it was normal for the prince to yell if he's frustrated about being told why he was angry about. Being hungry and waiting for food to be cooked could make a person angry during the wait, but it seemed normal for the prince to be angry about everything. Cyan wanted to take a look around the castle she was in, or assumed she was in because the royal always lives in a castle. Her impatient host would not stop to let her glimpse his home's interior; he had a good grip on her arm, dragging her behind him, and she just kept walking so he wouldn't tighten the grip.

"Let's get this over with then. I doubt you even wanted my company." Cyan spoke out after a few minutes of being pulled out of the ballroom.

"I have my own reasons."

"If it's to have a passionate night, I want to see a ring on my hand by morning."

"Do you think my standards are that low?! I wouldn't see myself with a girl wearing ugly rags."

"I predict yourself with a hand across your face if you don't watch your temper, clown prince."

His left eye began to twitch rapidly. Once they came into the dining room, the prince pulled Cyan in front of him and roughly lifted her head up to look at him. Her neck started to hurt when she tried to get out of his grip, but she felt her mask was moving slightly when she struggled. Agathe's warning rang through her head as she remembered the beggar woman told her to not take off the mask after she ate the candy. A promise could be rewarding and sometimes painful to keep. It defines what character a person was and how trustworthy the person is. So Cyan willingly looked up at the prince and she felt her heart almost stop. He didn't wear the excessive amount of white make-up, the bright red on his lips, or the blue eye shadow. His face was a different world compared to when he was wearing his makeup at the ball. Cyan was almost breathless seeing the perfect blue orbs in his eyes and she began to wonder what was inside them. Eyes were windows to the soul; they show feelings the face will try and mask from the world.

"Do I look like a clown to you?" The Prince asked. He traced her cheek and his thumb went under her eye mask. He was feigning his mocking tone of voice to see if he could make her weak against his touch.

"No..but you do need a brush your teeth. You have very bad breath!" Cyan mocked and moved his hand away from her mask.

"I do not!"

"Yes you do! Did you bathe in the champagne like you mentioned?! I can smell that horrible liquid on your person!"

"What do you know about fine drinking?! It is lost to your poor status!"

"It is a foul drink that turns the brightest minds to squabbling morons!"

They weren't the only ones in the room; the cooking staff were hiding behind the kitchen doors while the cook stood impatiently in front of the doors. The cook took great pride preparing exquisite meals for his highness and he wanted to impress whomever the prince brought into his castle. He has heard about a particular young lady who wore rags and a white masquerade mask to the prince's recent ball, but it surprised him that he even invited such a woman! The prince would invite wealthy maidens or the prettiest of the flock to dinner and sometimes, they shared his guest room for one night. It was rare if he brought a woman to his own bed. Right now the irritated cook wanted the bickering couple to taste his food.

"Ahem! Dinner is served!" The cook shouted. Cyan and the prince turned their attention toward the cook as the servants quickly brought trays of food and goblets of drinks on the table.

"Oh, pardon moi, monsieur. I didn't know you were ready for us." Cyan bowed her head. Her mouth began to water from the smell of food from the table.

"You are a polite one, mademoiselle."

"What good are manners if we don't use them as much as we should?" Cyan glanced at the prince, and smugly grinned when he glared at her.

"Quite right, quite right!" The cook laughed heartily. "I hope you enjoy the meal. I worked with the finest ingredients and cooked my blood and soul into each bite."

"I bet you make soulful food."

The prince grimaced at the joke the cook and Cyan laughed at. Of course, it was funny to the cook because it was true his food was divine compared to the other chiefs he hired in the past. He went through seventeen chiefs in the last three months. They wanted to see if they could cook for royalty and suppress the current chief out of the castle. However, the prince had 'refine' tastes and he didn't want to eat anything that wasn't worthy of his approval and the would-be cooks would be escorted out with harsh criticism from the prince. This woman was friendly toward his staff and it wasn't something he was used to. Most of the women he invited to dinner would pretend to act like they were royalty then he would grow bored with them and have hem escorted out the castle.

"Please, please, sit down and enjoy the food." The cook gestured Cyan to the table.

"I believe I will."

Two servants walked toward a large, brass dining chair and pulled it out for their prince. He walked past Cyan without thinking and made his way to his chair. _'Chivalry must be dead to him. He won't pull a chair out for a lady.'_ Cyan thought in annoyance. The prince sat down in his overly cushioned chair and he looked at the other side of the table where Cyan was still standing. She was about to pull out her own chair when the servants noticed her and quickly running over to her. One of the servants fumbled to the ground when the other tripped him by accident. He crawled the rest of the way over and both pulled her chair out for her to sit down.

"May we assist you?" The servants asked.

"How nice to see some men haven't forgotten a little common courtesy." Cyan said politely and smiled at the servants. "Merci beaucoup."

"'Common courtesy'" The prince muttered under his breath as she sat down in her chair.

His blood was starting to boil watching his own servants acting so friendly toward the guest. He wanted the dinner to be done so he can go to bed. Although this girl had more fire than the other ladies he frequently associated himself with, he didn't remember ever inviting a black sheep like her to his lavish balls. His mind wondered what she looked like under that mask. She looked petite from the looks of her dress. Her dress was simple compared to the extravagant gowns the women wore at his balls. Those gowns left too much for the imagination to wonder what they looked like underneath.

Beauty was sometimes a painful process for women in this society. They want to be thinner to appeal to a man's eye and they wear corsets or refuse to eat in order to obtain that image so they can win a man's heart. The prince loved beauty, but he even had standards to what he could do to himself. He thought wearing a corset was silly and possibly painful. The thickest corset was made out of whale bone and that piece of clothing could be worth a lot of money.

He didn't notice this girl wearing a corset. She just dressed how she saw fit: just a dress and her hair combed. She wasn't even wearing any shoes; only her black stockings! __'Did something happen on the way here? Did she travel a long way to get here and forgot her shoes? Or did she lose them? Was it a long travel just to get here or was she too poor to buy a pair of shoes?!'__ The prince pondered to himself, as it began to annoy him.

On the other side of the table was a different environment from the brooding prince. Cyan was in heaven as she stared at the food on her plate. Her stomach was telling her stuff her face as much as she could, but her heart countered it so she had to remember her manners. She could practically feel Satin Sally telling her to remember to sit up straight, enjoy her food, and do not eat with her hands. Cyan used the silver fork and knife in front of her as she cut into the food in front of her.

It was a medium sized cut of meat that was covered in a white sauce and the sides were a light soup and wilted vegetables. The first bite almost made her cry. The meat itself was tender enough to be cut with just the fork, and fell apart in her mouth; allowing her to savor its flavor. She could taste the salt and garlic in the sauce but she couldn't figure out what the other ingredients were. She smiled through the bites as she ate the side dishes. The soup was like a rich beef broth soup and the vegetable was her least favorite vegetable: spinach. It wasn't Cyan's favorite as a child and it still wasn't. She looked over at her host who was still glaring at nothing. His food was going to get cold if he doesn't eat quickly.

"Are you going to eat? You're letting your food get cold and I highly doubt the chief will forgive you for letting a masterpiece go to waste."

"This must worlds apart from the bread crusts and glass of water you frequently eat." He retorted.

 _ _'I don't always eat that, you pompous elite!'__ Cyan thought angrily. She had crusts and water more times than regular meals when the circus was on the road toward another town. The circus made sure the animals were fed first before the performers ate because the animals were part of their family. The animals ate more than the humans so sometimes the others had to eat what they could get their hands on. A lot of times it was bread and water or if they were in the woods, they could forage what they knew was food. Everyone knew to stay away from the funny mushrooms after Jacque squatted in a hole for two days when he ate one.

"It is different, but I have to thank the chief for this lovely food. I bet he worked for other royal people who appreciate his work."

"Are you referring to that under dressed aristocrat from last night?"

"He has a name." Cyan said sternly.

"He seems to know you very personally. What's your history with him?" The prince narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you jealous of him, Monsieur Prince?"

"My name isn't Prince. That is just my entitlement."

"Yes, because it would be so odd if your name was Prince. All hail King Prince!" Cyan raised her arms at his direction and he deeply frowned.

Cyan noticed that he wasn't irritated with her joke; it seemed he was annoyed about Prince Ali. She was wondering how in the world Ali was even real. Cyan knew Prince Ali was her precious childhood doll and it still shocked her to see him in the flesh at the ball. He dressed exactly how he should have in her story and acted just as she thought he would: charming, kind, smart, and so handsome. However, it bewildered her that her favorite toy was actually alive. Or was he? _'Valjean said life is always a mystery. Many authors wrote how people can be turned into animals. And in the Bible, God was a burning bush that spoke to Moses after he left Pharaoh's empire. Is my doll a mysterious phenomenon? Or is it just something Agathe put in these candies? Why is this even happening?!'_ Cyan thought to herself. It would have been amazing if her doll really was a real person because it would classify as a magical gift just as Valjean's hat.

"I have a preposition for you!" The prince called to her. He sounded really annoyed. "Did you not hear me?! I tried to get your attention four times now!"

"Oh? And what do you have in mind, 'prince'?"

"If you, my black sheep, tell me about this Prince Ali, I will allow you stay here in my castle."

"Tempting. But what would be my title if I so choose your offer." Cyan tapped a finger on her chin and turned back toward the prince. "If you want me to be your chambermaid, I kindly refuse. I am not that type of girl who will clean up your masquerading ego."

"Tch." The prince muttered.

"You have me mistaken for those pigeons you surround yourself at your social gatherings. I am poor in status but I will not throw away my dignity."

"I never thought dignity was an attractive quality in a woman." The prince smirked at her.

 _'Do not quote Gaston!'_ Cyan thought as she narrowed her eyes at him. This person was more charming than Gaston and so far, he hasn't tried to even make harassing gestures to her person like the hunter. His temperament made it fun for Cyan to play with compared to Gaston. Gaston had the villagers of Villeneuve to back him up if she stepped out of line and so she had to tread carefully.

"If you tell me your name, I'll tell you about Prince Ali." Cyan retaliated.

"Adam." The prince quickly answered.

"You really want my end of the bargain, don't you." Cyan remarked.

"Just tell me about this prince."

 _'My, my_ , _what a gentleman.'_ Cyan's right eye twitched slightly under her mask.

Adam took a long sip from his goblet; he didn't take his eyes off her as she mulled over what to say. Cyan always told Prince Ali's story more so than regular fairy tales and Shakespeare's writing. Talking about him was like talking about a childhood friend that she wasn't tired of talking about. The only thing she didn't like to talk about was the end of his story. Thankfully, whenever she tried to get to the end, someone would interrupt her before she can end the story. But what is Adam's true intention on knowing about Ali? Was this jealously over his status as a fellow prince or was it something else?

"Prince Ali is, by far, the most generous man I know," Cyan began to explain, "He throws gold coins into the streets when he walks out of his home."

"Why would he waste gold coins like that?!" Adam narrowed his eyes at the thought.

"There are a lot of poor families on the streets and he wanted to make sure they had something to help them get through their struggles."

"That is foolish of him. Gold isn't something you throw away! It is valuable and can be molded into something beautiful!"

"You're not the only one whose criticized him for how he spends his wealth." Cyan calmly stated. "He donates his fur coats to the needy, and he gives food to the-"

"What does he live in" Adam interrupts her. "Clearly he must own a ivory castle."

"Actually his castle is polished marble."

"What? Ivory is much more-"

"Do you even realize what ivory comes from?! An elephants tusk! Why would someone take away an innocent pachyderm's life just for it!?" Cyan seethed in anger. She couldn't imagine the torment one of the circus' elephants went through just to get one tusk removed.

"Hmph. So why a marble castle?"

"Marble comes from the Earth and so it wouldn't hurt anything if he dug it up."

Cyan paused for a few moments to drink from her goblet. Adam pondered about marble and if there was a lot in the earth. If that was the case, it is more abundant than ivory and so it would be enough for him to have sculpted into statues of himself and dress it in other precious gems and metals.

"Have you seen his fortune?"

"I have, but I will only tell you one thing about it. He has seventy-five golden camels."

"Solid gold camels?" Adam sounded shocked.

"Of course. He also owns fifty-three purple peacocks, ninety-five white Persian monkeys, sixty elephants, six llamas, fourteen bears, ten lions, and fifty birds that warble on key."

"So he has his own private zoo." Adam started to sound annoyed with this.

"It's a world-class menagerie. His people do not have to pay a fee if they want to see his animals. He also has forty fakirs, eight cooks, and six bakers on his staff. His servants love to serve him and are proud to be in his household."

Adam was beginning to get irritated at this Ali because of all he had. Adam didn't have a zoo or solid gold camels. His own staff didn't seem to enjoy serving him if he was in one of his tantrums. He didn't see what having a zoo made this Ali fellow so popular with his kingdom. However, it did surprise him that a girl like this knew so much about a prince. She knew the number of animals and staff Prince Ali had and didn't seem to withdraw much information about him or stutter a word. This girl was confident in this prince and so was he when he showed up Adam's ball the night before. Prince Ali was looking at this girl with an alluring look in his eyes; it was as if he knew what she looked like underneath this white mask of hers. This peaked his curiosity to see what she looked like underneath.

"You two seem...very friendly toward each other." Adam said in a almost quiet tone.

"He and I share a common ground for our morals. We known each other ever since I was little." Cyan glanced over at him.

"Does he know what you look like under that mask of yours?"

"Of course." Cyan said in a heartbeat. "But I will not take it off in front of you."

"I demand to see."

"And I respectfully decline."

Her refusal only made the challenge more inviting toward Adam. This was something he was willing to work to get this prize. If she was pretty under that mask, it would make a magnificent prize to for him. A diamond can be the ugliest rock until it goes through pressure and constant changing until it sparkled like glass. This girl was different from the women he invited; she may look poor, but she had something that would be a fire in a man's loins.

"Then due me the honor of coming to my next ball."

"I beg your pardon?"

"In two days, I will have a extravagant ball." Adam began to explain and got up from his chair. He made his way over toward her and Cyan quickly got out of her chair. "I want you to come so I can strip off that mask and see you for myself."

"And if I refuse, what would be my fate?" Cyan asked. Agathe made her promise to wear the mask, but was she allowed to take it off in these dreams? She didn't say specifically not to take off the mask in her dreams.

"Then I will have you put into my dungeon until you change your mind." Adam said in a stern voice. His eyes had a dark look in them when she looked up at him.

"Aren't you charming, Adam."

"What will you choose, my 'dear'?" He said in a sickly sweet voice.

"I accept your 'invitation'. However!" Cyan poked his nose and got a good two steps away from him. "I will not take off my mask willingly. I want you to find me."

"Find you?"

"Correct. If you can find me in the crowd, I will let you take off my mask willingly."

"Consider it done." Adam said and snapped his fingers. One of his servants hastily ran over toward the couple.

The servant had a small, white envelope in his hands which was snatched by Adam and presented to Cyan. She took it from his hands and glanced down at it. The envelope had golden rims around the edges and on the back was a red stamp to keep the flap from lifting. The stamp had a rose embedded in it. She looked up at Adam to say something, but another servant caught his attention from the kitchen. When he did, Cyan felt pain rippling from her chest. Everything was turning to gray and the scene around her was starting to fade away. Cyan tried to grab Adam's arm, but she went right through him and her world became black.

She sat up fast and she heard frantic chirping in front of her. It made her jump because she couldn't see what was going on. It was pitch black which meant it was still nighttime. Cyan felt for the candle stick near her bed and tried to run toward her dresser. However, her legs were tangled in her blankets so she tripped on the floor. The chirping didn't cease as she struggled to get to her dresser while continuing to fall down when she got up. When she finally got to her dresser, she grabbed a matchbox and struck the match.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Cyan screamed and turned the candle toward her bed.

The peacock chick was running in circles on the mattress. The little bird was flapping its wings in fear until it saw Cyan and quickly calmed down. _'That was you?! How did it wake me up?!'_ Cyan screamed in her head. She moved the candle toward the window fast when the room suddenly became bright and the thunder roared outside. Storm was still ravaging and the lighting and thunder wasn't gone just yet. The chick was probably spooked by the lightning and tried to wake her up to comfort it.

"I guess...I can't be mad at you. I know the storm is scary." Cyan whispered to the chick after she got the blankets off her legs. She made her way back to the bed and lightly stroked its head with her finger. It's body was shaking until it slowly calmed down once she started petting it. Cyan looked over at her pillow and froze when she saw gold rims shining on the end. Once she moved the candle over the pillow, she saw the same gold edged, white envelope from her dream. She took off her white mask, grabbed the envelope, and turned it around to see the rose stamp on the center.

"It...It's real..!" Cyan gasped.

It was just like the night before. First the food stains on her nightdress appeared when she woke up. That was when Adam and her had a food fight. Now, an envelope shows up when Adam gives it to her. Adam wasn't even wearing makeup like the night before!

"PHILLIP WAKE UP!" Cyan screamed and quickly went toward the ladder, climbing down into Cole's room and ran into the living room.

"What?! What?! What's wrong?!" Phillip sat up groggily.

"I WANT YOU TO DRAW ANOTHER SKETCH!"

"IT'S MIDNIGHT!"

* * *

Another chapter done! Poor Phillip! Now we meet Prince Adam again! What will happen if he finds Cyan?! Stay tuned!

I like to try and post a lot of chapters because I know how stressful it is when people wait for weeks and their favorite story has't posted anything yet. I understand that wait and especially when they only post one chapter. My goal is to post two chapters every time I update **Begin Again** so that way everyone can be satisfied on what's going on. I already have two more chapters done, but I am waiting for RabbitonSteroids to read them over! But do not worry: if she doesn't proof em yet, I will ask Lucariofreak55 or I will keep making chapters and sending them to Rabbit.

Perhaps we will have more chapters by the time she reads them all!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan, the circus, and my version of Prince Ali.

Please no mean comments or flames! Please PM me if you see any mistakes!


	19. Valjean and Grandpa Apple's trip

Valjean and Grandpa Apple were still on their journey when the rain started to pour down on them. They were making good progress once they got away from the prying eyes of the villagers. Of course the duo had forgotten their compass and their good map at the house so they had to travel by memory and a crudely drawn map to find the next town. Grandpa Apple remembered one of the bar flies complaining how far it was when he had to get a small bottle of special whiskey at the tavern. This surprised Valjean because he assumed the old man's memory wasn't sharp as it used to be. So Grandpa Apple was the leader of the trip since he heard how to get to the neighboring town.

Unfortunately, the directions lead them into a dense forest about five miles away from Villeneuve. The leaves weren't giving the men any shelter from the heavy rain, so they had to cover themselves with their cloaks. This didn't help very much, because the fabric became soaked after a few minutes. At least their horses were used to traveling in weather like this. The ground was mush between their hooves and they trotted carefully so their masters wouldn't fall off- specifically Grandpa Apple. The older man was trying to look over a crudely drawn map he had with him as they went through the forest. He had their small lantern hovering over the paper so he could see. Valjean was beside him with his own lantern and kept watch in case they were being followed. The ringleader was being cautious of any bandits or wild animals that could come out of nowhere and attack them. He carried a small knife with him, but the odds wouldn't be in his favor if it was a gun fight. Though Valjean had trust in their horses that they could help get away if they need. For the moment, however, he wasn't confident in his friends' map navigation.

"Do you even know where we are going?" Valjean called toward his friend.

"I think so! We been down this forest before!" Grandpa Apple called back.

"No we have not! We took the other direction where the forest wasn't so thick as this one!"

Grandpa Apple just shook his head and grumbled to himself before going back to his map. Their horses Poppy and Ludwig was a little skittish traveling in the forest, let alone allowing Ludwig's rider take the lead. They kept looking around their surroundings as if they were afraid of something attacking from behind. This fear was shared by their riders, but they had to keep calm and steady their horses. Valjean glanced back to see hoof marks barely under the leaf clutter ground. Trees were all they could see all around their general area, the treetops hid the sky; but not the rain pouring down from the heavens. Still, it was better than being in Villeneuve and away from their judgmental residents.

"This reminds me of Sherwood Forest, my old friend!" Valjean said.

"The only good thing about this confound is we don't have that stupid sheriff tryin' to tax us!" Grandpa Apple replied.

"Oh, the sheriff couldn't hold a candle to us! He can swing his sword, fire his arrows, and throw rocks at us and we still walk away free as birds!"

"Thanks for reminding me! You STILL owe me a new hat!" Grandpa Apple was getting irritated really quickly from the weather and remembering the loss of his favorite hat.

Their time in Sherwood Forest wasn't a pleasant memory, but it was tolerable to the men. The Sheriff of Nottingham was trying to tax the circus for just strolling past town and so the circus had no choice but to run away. He can remember the sound of the horses sprinting on the hard ground, the elephants loud triumphant noise as they stampede out of the town, and the crew screaming in fear and excitement. Acrobats swung into the trees and the knife throwers made quick use of their skill to block a wooden arrow at them, the strongmen threw logs of wood at the sheriff's crew so they couldn't follow them further, and Grandpa Apple's cart took most of the heavy artillery. The older man cursing at the archers firing at his whiskey and wine barrels tied on his wagon, the apple bags cut from stray arrows and the bountiful fruit rolled onto the dirt road, and his favorite brown snagged on a hanging branch. The memory always gave the ringleader tears to this eyes when he remembered how much his friend cursed and yelled over a thirty-five year old hat. Ever since that day, Grandpa Apple insisted Valjean owed him a new hat because the whole thing could have been avoided if he had payed the darn tax.

Valjean couldn't hold back his merriment any longer and burst out laughing. Poppy struggled to keep his rider on his back as he threw his head back and hugged his sides. Then, he started choking when raindrops fell into his mouth and down his throat. It was Grandpa Apple's turn to laugh at his friend's misery and his horse, Ludwig, almost let his rider fall off when he started laughing. Valjean regained his composure after coughing most of the water out of his lungs and looked over at his friend. He smiled at the sight because it felt like a decade since they had a good laugh like this. _'It's been too long, old friend.'_ Valjean thought to himself and wiped his forehead.

"If we can get the others out of that town, we could have more laughter like this." Valjean shook his head before snatching the map out of Grandpa Apple's hand.

"Sweet mercy, it's been too long! I can't wait until we get out of there. I can drink without someone telling to get out of my chair cause it was for Gaston!"

"I'm assuming the chair was one of the best seat in the tavern."

"Yes! My hide hasn't been so comfy in fourteen years! That chair was pure heaven, Valjean."

"It was probably made out of cheap cushions and stuffed with feathers."

"It was PURE comfort! A man can sit back, drink up his tasty brew, and have his pleasures at his-" Grandpa Apple explained.

"Are you referring to what happened after your wedding?" Valjean interrupted and pulled on Poppy's harness to make him stop, "I don't want to hear what you did to your wife because I was there in that same field. I was wondering what the sound was and I assumed it was a poor animal tortured in a bear trap."

"Where are we anyway?!" The old man was starting to get even more irritated and he stopped his horse.

"It looks like we're at a crossroads," Valjean looked up from the map.

The road was cut into two paths in front of the men. The first path was littered with leaves just like the road they were on. There was hardly any light going down that path and it was still pouring rain in that direction. The second path looked sinister with a cold breeze blowing at the men. It chilled them to the bone and the horses didn't have a good feeling about the second path. Poppy and Ludwig whinnied and backed up from the second path which caught Grandpa Apple's attention. He didn't like that path either; he was actually afraid of going down that path. He didn't want Valjean to know then tell the troop when they return to Villeneuve and have him be a laughing stock. Then again, Grandpa Apple knew Valjean wasn't the type to spread rumors to make a mockery of a man. He glanced at the ringleader and saw he too was shaking in his boots while he held onto his hat so it wouldn't be swept away in the wind.

"Whelp, no contest here. We go down the first path!" Grandpa Apple quickly insisted.

"I will follow you!" Valjean added.

The men had their horses turn toward the first path until they heard thunder roar above them. A lightning bolt strikes the big tree between the paths; which then fell into the first path. Ludwig whinnied in fright and raised on his hind legs in an attempt to get away from the bright light. Grandpa Apple gave out a startled shout before he fell on the hard ground with the horses' ragged saddle. A sharp pain shot through his back at his fall and he lost his breath when the heavy saddle fell on his stomach. Valjean quickly got off of his own stead, and ran over toward his friend; helping to remove the weight from him. The men heard a loud crack and quickly turned their attention to the tree. It began to lean over toward the men and Valjean hastily dragged Grandpa Apple out of the way before the tree fell direction of the first path. They were now inches away from the fallen tree that now blocks their intentional path. The only path left was the cold, scary path on their right.

"..I think we can go under that branch." Grandpa Apple suggests quickly.

"You will break your back if you try." Valjean states before standing up.

"I don't want to go down that other path!"

"Neither do I!"

"So let's say we just turn around and go home?" Grandpa Apple asks and reached for help.

"And let everyone down?! We have come too far to just give up!" Valjean shouted and pulled the elder man on his feet.

"Did you not see that hunk of tree fall down?! I say the second path is cursed!"

"It was probably just coincidence. Think about this very carefully: keep going, or go home," Valjean gallantly stated as he made his way back to his horse. He mounted on his stead and watched his friend struggle putting Ludwig's saddle back on. The horse was still skittish from the sudden lightning and would not stay still long enough for him to put its saddle back on. Eventually, Grandpa Apple gave up when he almost threw his back out and tosses the saddle off to the side.

"I know the way home. It's this way." Grandpa Apple pointed behind them and started to guide his horse behind Valjean by its harness.

"Alright. Fine, I will go by myself!" Valjean shouted back at him.

"Good, I'll tell yer wife you're probably dead by now." It did not faze the man as he made his way in the other direction.

Valjean groaned in exasperation at the coward. It wasn't the first time Grandpa Apple tried to walk out on a task that had scary choice. The man was always superstitious, and he tried to steer away from it if he would think there was something uncertain about the choice. In the past, Valjean thought it was something that would eventually go away as Grandpa Apple grew older, but his friend refuses to let this habit die. He didn't want let the circus down and allow them to stay in Villeneuve any longer just because of a fallen tree and Grandpa Apple's cowardice. However, Valjean knew one thing the old man hated more than anything.

"Happy trails. Good luck traveling back," Valjean shook his head and made Poppy go down the second path, "By yourself."

That must have been enough to make Grandpa Apple rethink his choice, because Valjean didn't hear any hooves clopping on the forest floor behind him. Valjean had barely went far from the mouth of the path when thunder roared once again and made Ludwig whinny in fright. The ringleader only shrugged it off and continued on the path. It wasn't as bad as he thought because the path didn't seem to have as much leaf clutter on the ground. The horse and rider heard leaves scattering behind then and turned around quickly.

"WAIT FOR ME!" Grandpa Apple screamed in terror. He was riding on his horse without a saddle.

"Welcome back, old friend." Valjean only smirked.

It was better traveling with a friend instead of going by himself. So the two continued on the path, praying to God that they would get out of the forest soon. They didn't feel the rain pouring on their cloaks anymore, so they thought the storm had finally passed. Instead, they felt a chilly wind blow at them once again. The men heard what sounded like snow crunching under their horses hooves and they started to realize the ground was becoming white. The trees around them were frigid, the leaves were replaced with icicles; and Ludwig kept bumping into the trees and snow would fall on its rider. The forest was terrifying at night; especially now since everything was covered in ice and snow. Trees were curved over the small ledges and the sides of the road. The frosty bark scratched the men on their legs if their horses were too close to the frostbitten plants. Branches were now jagged arms with icicle tips ready to snatch any weary traveler into its cold touch. The branches felt more like walls of a prison because they felt like there was no escape if they tried to go through the branches. They would be tangled by their clothes and the ice could cut them and their horses. Knowing this, they decided to keep on the path in front of them. There was no other sound besides the howl of the wind and the crunching of snow. No cricket's chirp, no owl's hoot; nor any lush green plant was in sight. The men's nerves were on edge, and the pair screamed when snow fell from the twisted branches above them.

"It's snowing..?" Valjean took off his hat and patted the snow off it.

"It's only September! Why is it snowing?!" Grandpa Apple looked around frantically.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Valjean stated before putting his hat back on, "Let's continue and see where it leads."

Once again, they continued on their path. The snow didn't stop falling over them and Valjean glanced to his left to see Grandpa Apple shivering. He was trying to blow into his hands to keep them warm, and he tied his cloak around in an attempt to keep his body warm. Valjean was also cold, but he always wore long sleeves and long pants so he was alright in this temperature. He rummaged through his bag attached to the saddle and tossed Grandpa Apple a scarf. It did help though it was barely enough to keep him warm. Poppy became skittish when he heard a wolf howl behind them.

"Don't worry, Poppy. It's just a wolf. They're more afraid of us than we are of them." Valjean reassured his horse by stroking the right side of its face.

"Then why does it sound real close to us?" Grandpa Apple asked.

The old man heard a growl on the side of them and turned his attention toward it. He wouldn't be able to see anything in the dark, if he hadn't swung his lantern over. When he did, a white wolf had its head through a large gap in the branches. It wrinkled its lip and nose to show a sinister smile of sharp teeth. The old man gave a startled scream which Valjean turned his own lantern over to his friend and saw there was more wolves behind them. They were snarling at the traveler's with demonic, hungry eyes and a mouth of sharp teeth. The horses became horrified by the predators and quickly took off with the men screaming "Go, go, go!"

The road wasn't straight anymore once the horses started galloping for their lives. It grew curves and sharp turns that hugged branches toward the horses and their riders were getting cut by the straggling branches. Grandpa Apple dropped his satchel and his lantern while he hung onto Ludwig's neck as the horse hurried beside their friend. The old man heard scuffling above them and looked up to see more wolves running along the sides of the ridges. He saw five above on Valjean's left and then six above on their right. Valjean looked back to see four wolves chasing from behind trying to keep up with them.

"Why are there so many wolves?!" Grandpa Apple asked in terror.

"Wolves travel in packs!"

"They're acting like rejected, angry women!" Grandpa Apple shouted.

The road began to become bumpy as rocks replaced the flat ground and the wolves ambushed them in front of their path. Poppy and Ludwig shot up on their hind legs in fear and the sudden jerk sent the screaming Valjean and Grandpa Apple flying over to a disheveled ledge. They struggled to get a good grip due to the slippery snow; Grandpa Apple was beginning to slide down as he screamed in shock and Valjean quickly grabbed hold of his left hand before grabbing a tree root in the snow. "Don't drop me!" and "Please don't let go of me!" was all Valjean heard from the scared old man that was trying to hold onto the ring leader. The poor men couldn't do anything to save their beloved horses as their equines ran away from the wolves, who were tailing right behind them. Their frightened whinnies echoed through the chasm road before they were out of sight.

Grandpa Apple sobbed at the thought his poor Ludwig being a meal to the savage wolves. Valjean struggled to pull himself up with one arm so he ushered the grieving man to try climbing up the ridge. The snow was slippery so it took them a while to pull themselves up on steady ground. Once they made a few inches on the solid ground, they heard a snarl in front and quickly looked up. There was one white wolf a few inches from them. It was bigger than the other wolves they have seen; its forehead had patches of yellow fur and its eyes were just as evil-looking as the rest. It growled lowly at them before snapping its fangs at Valjean. He flinched from the wolf and released his grip which made him begin slipping down the ledge. Grandpa Apple tried to grab him by his arm but he wasn't strong enough to hold onto both the ledge and his friend so he slid down with him. The rest of the wolves were below the ledge waiting for their meal to come to them. All the wolves snarled and growled hungrily as the men came closer to the bottom.

"I'm too handsome to be eaten!" Grandpa Apple screamed.

"Poppy!" Valjean shouted for his horse.

The men fell to the ground with Valjean landing first and then Grandpa Apple landed on top of him.

The ravenous predators circled closer around them. They were ready to pounce on their prey with the leader of the pack, the larger, yellow patch wolf watching from above the overhanging ledge. A loud neigh drowned out the wolves' growls when they heard hooves running faster at them. Poppy collided with a wolf and bite into one of the wolf's tail which made it yelp in pain. Poppy was a force to be reckon with; he was a mighty horse and a very loyal one. Some of the wolves cowered at the sight of him and slowly backed up, but the leader was ready to ambush him from behind. Ludwig came to the side when the alpha leaped off its perch and landed on the smaller brown horse. Grandpa Apple glared seeing his beloved stallion attacked until Ludwig started to jerk up and down to shake the wolf off. It struggled to stay on the horse's back, but eventually, the leader fell under Ludwig.

"Kick 'em in the teeth, Luddy!" Grandpa Apple cheered at his horse. He got up quickly and helped Valjean on his feet.

Ludwig stomped on the wolf's legs, its sides, and finally the mouth. There was a loud, sickening crunch when he stomped on the alpha's mouth. He got away from the wolf and allowed Grandpa Apple to get on his back and ride off with Valjean and Poppy right behind. The wolves gave chase after them and the men couldn't celebrate just yet until they get away from them. Valjean looked ahead and saw a dark, heavy gate which opened its doors when they came close and so they went right in. The wolves, on the other hand, didn't follow them any longer. They stopped in front of the gate and snarled at their escapees. The men looked back at sight and howled in laughter and relief. Their terrifying ordeal was over, they were safe now.

"Oh thank you, my friends. You saved us!" Valjean congratulated their horses.

"See, Valjean!? I told ya we'd make it!" Grandpa Apple laughs then patted Ludwig's neck.

"But now where are we?" Valjean looked around once the adrenaline wore out.

All he could see were snow covered hedges, small trees, and stony arches. They had lost their lanterns in the forest, but they were able to see the looming castle in front of them. The castle, like everything else, was covered in snow. The castle steps had large rails over the sides that curled up beautifully at the end of the stairs. The place looked dark, an icy fortress from the outside; yet it looked like heaven toward the weary men and their horses. Under the massive staircase was a stable large enough for their two horses to rest and eat. The men hopped down so they can guide them into the stables and have them settle for the moment. There was water inside, with a small basket of apples, and a large barrel of hay for them to eat. It was just warm enough for the horses to relax and rest up their tired legs.

"Rest easily, old friend," Valjean reassured Poppy and got him close to the water, "You both had a long night. You should be safe here. We will go inside and see our...unsuspecting host. Let's hope he doesn't mind us barging in at this time of night."

"You know what they say. Where there's a castle, there's wine and whiskey in the cellar!" Grandpa Apple gleamed at the thought. Ludwig was resting on the floor eating hay as Grandpa Apple followed Valjean out of the stable.

"I doubt the owner has a wine cellar." Valjean narrowed his eyes at him.

"A man can dream." Grandpa Apple shrugged it off.

"We cannot be rude, Ferdinand, so please be on your best behavior."

"We almost got eaten by wolves! The host better have more sympathy for us! And STOP calling me that!" Grandpa Apple fumed.

They carefully went up the snowy stairs and as they went up, the light posts on the sides turned on. Grandpa Apple looked back at the post and wondered if those were on before. Light posts needed someone to light the candles inside, but he didn't see anyone lighting them or footprints in the snow. However, he was too hungry to care so he continued following the ringleader to the door. Said door was taller than them, and quite a bit larger than normal sized doors. Valjean knocked three times on the door; but there was no answer. Grandpa Apple mumbled for him to step aside and he hit the door seven times. The door slowly opened up for them and the men quickly went inside.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! Your kindness exerts warmth in our-" Valjean began to praise to whoever opened the door; but there was no one behind it.

"I don't think anyone's here," Grandpa Apple said and threw his cloak over a nearby coat-rack.

"That's preposterous. Someone must be here because there's a fire over there," Valjean gestured toward a fireplace on the far right of the room.

That was the only time Valjean seen the old man sprint toward something. It only surprised him that Grandpa Apple didn't trip and break his hip. The ringleader closed the door behind him, before he took off his own cloak and put it over the coat-rack as well. There was another massive staircase about fourteen steps in front of him and the rails had large, sinister dragons carved on the bottom of the stairs. Valjean thought the owner had odd tastes, but it would be good to tell Cyan about it so she could use it in her stories. Unfortunately, that also meant telling his family him and Grandpa Apple were almost a meal to wolves. Cyan was afraid of wolves so maybe he didn't have to tell her. He still had to tell his wife though and he was dreading that.

"Uh, hello there! We are but tired men hoping to have shelter from the storm. We don't want to be a bother, we just want to stay for the night," Valjean called out as he went to the foot of the the staircase, hoping the owner could hear him.

There was no answer. He wondered if anyone was sleeping. It was very late at night so it was possible the staff would also be asleep. Lack of sleep will drive anyone mad and it was also very rude to wake someone up. Dreams were sacred to the sleeping person and Valjean wasn't one to wake someone up and ruin their bliss. He started to doubt staying here if no one answered and he didn't want to get into trouble.

"They must have lost their way in the woods," A low whisper came from behind him.

"Shut up, you idiot!" A harsh whisper said to the other.

"Excuse me?" Valjean turned around quickly.

There was no one behind him; just a lone table under the right window. Valjean saw there was two objects on this table, so he walked over to examined them. On the table was a tall candelabra and a stout clock. He picked up the clock to see it more closely and he was immediately impressed. The clock's face had roman numbers and the 'hands' were thin yet sturdy enough to move to help tell the time. The face also had what looked like a frown and in the 'mouth' were small gears to show it was working since Valjean saw the gears move. The base of the clock was very integrate and whomever designed the clock had a very creative idea for it. The middle of the clock also showed gears at the 'belly' and he saw the clock handles were possibly either brass or faded gold.

"Such craftsmanship." Valjean gasped.

He set the clock back down then picked up the candelabra. The candelabra had three candles on it; two for its 'hands.' and one for the head. The arms warped around the head, and the base of it looked like the maker put on a suit. When he took a closer look, the design was like a man once he saw a face was etched in the metal under the candle. Valjean thought the maker of this candelabra wanted to make it look human and he did a fine job at that. The ringleader would like one of these if he can find the maker once they get back on the road.

"What a handsome look." Valjean spoke softly before he set it back down near the clock.

Music echoed through the empty room and it caught Valjeans attention. He recognized the instrument playing. It was a harpsichord! He hadn't heard one play ever since Jacque destroyed theirs and he had forgotten how much he missed the sweet music it would play. If someone was playing the harpsichord, that means someone was still awake! Valjean turned over toward the sound and pinpointed it was coming from a room on the left side of the castle. He scurried toward the large, white door and he reached for the doorknob. But then he stopped himself. If there was someone in there, he didn't want to be seen as untidy; even though Valjean was weary from traveling. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to comb it neatly, pulled the flaps on his shirt straight, then finished off by dusting his arms and cleared his throat. Once Valjean finally opened the door, he could hear the music was echoing off the walls of the room. It sounded sad yet pleasing to the ear and he couldn't wait to thank the musician for their melody.

All he saw was the harpsichord and its candles lit which quickly extinguishes and the melody abruptly stop playing. The ringleader saw no one at the instrument, no other footprints besides his own, and nothing that could turn the candles off. He felt no breeze so the wind couldn't have put the flames out. He made his way over toward the harpsichord and saw how old the wood was around the keys and how there was three missing keys on it.

"S-Strange..." Valjean stuttered and did a once-over of the room.

The room looked like a ballroom since there was a lot of chandeliers hanging above him. All seven chandeliers were in dire need of dusting. They were covered in a tangled mess of cobwebs and dust, the floors needed to swept, and the glass door needed to be desperately wiped. It felt like this room had not been used in years by the looks of the dust. Valjean started to backtrack toward the door but he tripped over the small steps. He quickly crawled the rest of the way out of the room toward the fireplace where he last saw his friend. Valjean got up and noticed he had gotten dust on his shirt so he patted the dust off as he walked over toward the fireplace.

"Ferdinand, there's something amiss in this-What are you doing?!" Valjean shouted. In front of the fireplace was a long table with plates of food and goblets of drink and the old man was gorging himself on a small roasted chicken.

"Whut?" Grandpa Apple said with his mouth full.

"This isn't our food! What were you thinking?!"

"I was hungry! Do you think I'm letting a feast like this go to waste?! It was just sitting here!"

"You are impossible! This could be the owner's supper! Have you no heart?!"

"They have your favorite," the older sing-songed, "creamed goose with cranberry dressing," That was one of the ringleaders weakness. Creamed goose was his favorite foods and cranberry dressing gave the goose a sweet component so he wouldn't get tired of the slightly gamey bird.

"...alright. One bite won't hurt." Valjean took off his hat and quickly dined on the goose.

The men gorged themselves on the array of food in front of them. Roasted chicken, sizzled steaks, French onion soup, fresh baked bread, and other side dishes that were too delicious to describe. This dinner was worlds away from the small, measly dinners they had to eat. Both men loved Satin Sally's homemade dinners; there was just so much she could do with the ingredients they could afford. Food was becoming hard to get ever since they came to Villeneuve and the circus wasn't getting enough money to pay for the luxury cuts of meat or the juicy fruits and vegetables the vendors sold in the market. The bakers bread wasn't always fresh. They used the leftover rolls and bread from the day before to try and sell them again. The circus had to make due with what they could get.

Grandpa Apple was about to reach for a goblet when they heard a small scuffle on the table. They looked over to see a small, white teacup with a gold handle on its plate slid slowly toward the men. There was a little bit of tea inside and it did look inviting until Valjean saw the teacup blink.

"Mum says I wasn't supposed to move because it might be scary. Sorry." The teacup whispered. It did look scared.

"It's alright, my lad." Valjean reassured it.

"Yea, everyone gets scared." Grandpa Apple added.

Did teacups even talk? The men took a double take at the cup then at each other. Fear emitted through their body as they quickly scuffled off their chairs and ran toward the door. Grandpa Apple did stop to yank a chicken leg off his plate before running behind Valjean. The ringleader almost knocked the coat-rack down when he yanked his cloak off.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality! But, we-we must get going now!" Valjean called out quickly.

"THIS IS SORCERY! SORCERY, I TELL YOU!" Grandpa Apple screeched. He barged the door open and abandoned his cloak.

"Wait for me!" Valjean yelled behind.

They ran down the stairs and went into the stables. It was a miracle they didn't slip and fall down the stairs from the snow, but they really wanted to get out of here. Ludwig and Poppy were finishing up their meal when their riders mounted on them and they started to gallop away from the castle. Grandpa Apple kept shouting "Teacups do not talk!" and "This castle is haunted!" over and over again. The garden was like a maze as they tried to find the gates. The horses could sense how scared their riders were and they didn't blame them for being afraid. Valjean kept looking around for the gates until he saw a rose bush and quickly stopped Poppy. Grandpa Apple zipped past them until he realized he was the only one going so he made Ludwig stop.

"What are you doing?!" Grandpa Apple screamed.

"There's a rose bush over there!"

"So?!"

"We promised Cyan a rose!" Valjean climbed off Poppy and ran toward the rose bush.

"She will understand that we are running for our lives!"

"It will only take a moment! We are safe here!"

Grandpa Apple groaned in irritation and quickly got off Ludwig before joining his friend. The rose bush didn't have any leaves surrounding the flowers; it was just the flowers that grew on the stems. The roses themselves were white and Valjean didn't know if Cyan wanted a red rose or a white rose. She would mention her father grew red roses or was it white roses that he grew? It was starting to hurt his head trying to remember what exactly was it. The men didn't notice their horses huffing and becoming agitated the more they stalled.

"Did Cyan want a red or a white rose?" Valjean asks Grandpa Apple.

"I don't remember! The lass can paint it red so just pick it!" He pulled his beard in anger.

He wanted to leave right now. So did Valjean. At least Cyan was finally getting a rose after so many years of promising her. Unfortunately, the rose didn't want to plucked when Valjean tried to pick it off the bush. He tried pulling it only to get pricked by the thorns. His fingers were so numb that the cold made the pain worse than it should have. He bent the stem a little to try and wear it out enough to pull it off. Eventually he was able to get the rose. It was a rose in full bloom. That was something both Grandpa Apple and Valjean remember Cyan wanted. The old man gave a sigh of relief once they finally got the rose but then they heard a loud growl.

A massive beast jumped off a stony arch and roared in their faces, which made the men back up and slip on the snow. Valjean clutched the rose in his hand and Grandpa Apple screamed in terror which made the horses run away. Poppy ran back to the stables to hide and Ludwig ran in the opposite direction. The men were left to the mercy of the beast as it dragged them across the hard snow by their shirts, pulling them against their will, back towards the ominous castle.

* * *

Another long chapter!

So this time Valjean and Grandpa Apple get their own chapter for the first time. It was fun writing the shenanigans between these two characters even though writing out the chase scene was a little bit of a pain. However, I am hope you all like it. I wonder whose home they were at~.

Another chapter will be posted in a few seconds after this one!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Grandpa Apple and Valjean in this chapter.

Please no flames or mean comments! IF you see a mistake on this chapter, please PM me and I will fix it!


	20. Burnt stew

Poor Phillip spent the morning drawing after Cyan woke up him in the middle of the night. It was also a poor night for Bella because Cyan woke her up too. The redhead wanted Phillip to draw her prince again after she said he was in her dream, but the strongman didn't want to draw in the dark and told her to go back to bed. However his friend was very persistent and help telling him she would take over his cooking duty for tomorrow if he drew her prince. Phillip already had her doing his chores for a week for the sketch he did that morning. He was beginning to wonder if Cyan hit her head because she never offered to do anyone's chores. On the other hand, Phillip didn't want to cook lunch. So he agreed to draw this prince in the morning.

Phillip regretted his decision as soon as Cyan gave him some paper and pencils. The poor strongman went through six pieces of paper and four pencils from Cyan constantly telling him that the prince's nose wasn't that pointy, his eyes weren't that big, or there wasn't a strand of hair over his forehead. It drove the poor man crazy at her nitpicking every detail. By his seventh try, the storyteller was more than pleased with his masterpiece and allowed him to finally rest. Phillip was supposed to escort Bella and Jacque into the village while they did their errands for the day. The dainty dancer wanted to buy new dresses and Jacque refused to give his answer when he saw Rebecca was outside near hearing range. If Bella pestered him about it, Jacque would mutter it was something important then scurry her along the path going into town. Phillip didn't understand what was going on so he ran after them and left Rebecca and Cyan alone with the cooking.

Today's lunch was a vegetable stew with pork meat. Satin Sally had managed to buy the meat cheaply so the troop was looking forward to the meal. Unfortunately, everyone was almost dreading lunch time when they learn Cyan was prepping the food. Seven of the members went to the village's church to pray to God for a "safe meal" while the rest went either to the barn or the woods to stay away and practice until it was safe to eat Cyan's cooking. Rebecca was going to hang up the laundry so she was going to make sure Cyan didn't burn the food again. Both of the girls had the vegetables brewed and cut up into the cooking cauldron before Rebecca started on the laundry.

" _Too late to be known as John the First. He's sure to be known as John the Worst, a pox on the phony king of England!"_ Rebecca sang to herself as she pulled out a white blanket from the basket.

" _La da dee...la da dee.._ " Cyan softly hummed to herself while she stirred the pot. She was looking over the sketch Phillip drew. Once again, Phillip had managed to capture Adam's essence in it.

Phillip only drew Adam's shoulders and his head; if Cyan asked Phillip to draw the body, he would have quit after the seventeenth time she had him erase an imperfection. For now, she was satisfied with the face because it would match the 'clown' version Phillip drew yesterday morning. Adam did look a whole lot better without the makeup, the white wig, and the fake mole on the left side of his lip. He had the face angels could have carved before he became flesh and blood on earth. God has blessed him with these looks, but he acts like the Devil cursed him with that foul temper of his. It is a match made in a bittersweet story.

 _'A bittersweet story that the immortal Bard himself could write. Am I living in it?'_ Cyan mulled it over and over in her head. Prince Adam was indeed handsome and she was just a stranger in his own home. If this was one of William Shakespeare's works of literature, their ending would be a tragedy or a comedy. It felt like a cruel comedy because her mind plagues her of the upcoming ball. Cyan can not carry through a formal dance without stepping on her partner's foot or slipping on the floor. She will be a laughing stock of the ball if she didn't execute this carefully. But if Adam manages to find her in the crowd, was she even ready to meet him without the mask? Why was she even thinking about how he would think of her when she finally unmasked?

"Hey Cyan, how's the cooking coming along? I'm starting to get hungry!" Rebecca called from the laundry rack.

No answer.

"Cyan, are you even listening?" Rebecca looked back to see Cyan staring off into nothing. "HEY!"

"Did you say something, Rebecca?" Cyan jumped at her friend's loud voice and looked over at her fast.

"Ah, forget about it. You're probably thinking about someone with broad shoulders and a pretty face. And you're smelling the fresh air and his musky cologne." Rebecca explained and batted her eyes toward her friend.

It wasn't fresh air and musky cologne when Rebecca took a deep breathe. All she could smell was something burning and it made both girls wrinkle their nose in disgust. Rebecca started coughing immediately when black smoke came toward her when she turned toward where Cyan was. All she see besides Cyan was smoke emitting from the cauldron. It was soon followed by a loud bubbling noise that was far too familiar for the girls. They turned their attention toward the cauldron to find it was bubbling over black substance over the sides.

"Woah, it's boiling over!" Cyan exclaimed and tried to pick up the side of the cauldron. It was too hot for her to touch with her bare hands so right away she had to let go.

"You're burning the food!" Rebecca grabbed one of the white shirts out of the basket and quickly ran over.

"I'm sorry!"

"How can you burn stew!? Everything is in water!" Rebecca screeches as she uses the shirt to grab the edges of the pot and carry it off the fire pit.

Cyan grabs a small cloth on the ground then helps Rebecca fan the black smoke away from them. Luckily for them, the wind was blowing away from the camp and the village so no one would have to smell the putrid stench. Time was something they didn't have, in order to save what was left of the vegetables they used in the stew. Just about everything Cyan tries to cook always get burnt if she wasn't paying attention and the stench alone could clean out a person's nose, erasing the nose hairs; not to mention the smell would linger in their clothes. Smoke was like a distress call from the food for someone to save them from their torturer named Cyan. Burnt food wasn't just Cyan's specialty; she has tried to cook meat in a short time so she could be done and the meat would still be raw on the inside. Fish and some beef was alright partly cooked, but pork and chicken was different. So it was no wonder the circus members didn't look forward to lunch or dinner if Cyan was the cook.

"Can we try and salvage the veggies?" Cyan asked sheepishly.

"We can try. But I don't believe the others can stomach this." Rebecca took a look at the ruined stew once they finally got the smoke down.

"I think it's edible." Cyan suggested and got a small spoonful of it.

It didn't take very long for her to start gagging. The flavor wasn't exactly something that helped her to keep the food down. The strew was burnt beyond recognition, the tomatoes were like charcoal, celery was too tough to chew on, broth tasted like smoke, and the other vegetables and spices they put into the stew somehow turned into a black mush. Potatoes' texture wasn't so bad, but the starch had absorbed the bad flavors. Cyan's body was trying to reject the food in her mouth while she tried to swallow it. Rebecca only stood by and watched her friend go through agony before the storyteller finally threw up the food behind the log she used as her seat.

"We cannot...eat this slop.."

"I'm glad I didn't eat that!" Rebecca laughed.

"Thank you so much for your concern." Cyan remarked sarcastically.

"So what were you looking at while you burnt our lunch?"

Cyan froze when Rebecca picked the sketch off the log. She was afraid of her friend ripping it or bending the paper while she looked at it. Although Rebecca is used to being rough with the circus' tigers, she knew better than to ruin something of Cyan's. She just wanted to look at it real quick. None of the girls realized someone was watching them. Agathe was making her way down toward the circus' camp when Bella and the boys told her she was welcomed to join them for lunch. The beggar woman had became a welcomed guest ever since Cyan's birthday surprise and the members always stop to say good morning or have a good day to Agathe when they see her in the village. She was hiding behind the tree near the left side of the barn. It was amusing to watch the two girls interact as Cyan tried to retrieve the paper from the tiger tamer's hands. Rebecca was a few inches taller than her so it was a waste of energy to try and reach.

"I asked Phillip to draw the prince again in exchange of preparing our lunch." Cyan explained.

"Now I know who to thank for that." Rebecca rolled her eyes before handing the paper to Cyan. "I will admit he did a really great job on this drawing. This prince looks better without all that makeup from the last drawing."

"He does, doesn't he? I pity whoever falls for him." The storyteller shook her head at the thought of Adam even having a wife. Poor woman would have to deal with that horrid temper of his.

"It looks like you're the only one that's falling for him, Cyan." Rebecca said, getting a bucket of water over.

"Rebecca, this is just someone in my dream."

"I bet he exists somewhere. Anyone who wears that much makeup is sure easy to remember. Just stop mopping around and go look for the guy."

The tiger tamer was pouring water into the ruined cauldron to try and wash out the burnt stew. They still had a few fresh vegetables left over and they could try and use the pork. Rebecca was going to cook the stew this time so Cyan didn't burn the next batch. First she has to clean out the cauldron before she can even put the ingredients in or else everything would just have bits and pieces of burnt food in each bite. Burnt food was hard to clean out of a pot. It was hard to scrub off and she started to think maybe they could still use the food for lunch if they can tone down the charcoal taste. A little seasoning might help with some more water and a few carrots. If not, they have to start from scratch and lunch would be postpone another few hours.

"I'm not exactly wealthy or have a worthy status to even be near a prince." Cyan explained as she looked at the sketch. "I thought it all through and it just wouldn't work out. Besides what do I have to offer him?"

"Well, for one thing you can't cook." Rebecca gestured toward their cauldron full of burnt stew.

"I'm being serious, Rebecca! There's no way a man of royalty will want a outcast like me."

"So the man's got class. So what?" Rebecca shrugged it off.

Rebecca didn't understand society as much as the older members of the circus; to her, titles were just names and it shouldn't mean a lot to a person. She doesn't understand that those titles heavily separate people just because they are poor or rich. Rich parents want their children to marry to a person of high status so they could continue their linage and allow the parents to live out their golden years in the comfort of their child's home. They don't want to see their children with the poorer class and be a disgrace so they have to make sure their child doesn't see their 'love' again. Love doesn't always play out the way someone would hope it to. Money and power can twist affection and drive a wedge into another person's life when they face the blunt of it. Cyan wasn't entitled to anything after she was sold to the circus so she doesn't actually have a chance with being near royalty. She was now twenty years old and she didn't have much options as she gets older.

There wasn't anyone in the circus or Villeneuve that interested Cyan. Jacque was too goofy and his affections was for another woman. Everyone knew he had a crush on Rebecca ever since he joined the circus and Rebecca was too dense to realize that. Phillip and Bella already had a romance with each other and it looked like nothing would faze him away from her. He thought Bella was gorgeous despite her burnt left eye likewise the small dancer thought Phillip was her knight in shining armor. Tom, Dick, and Stanley wasn't exactly husband material since they tease the circus members sometimes at the tavern. Jacque hasn't forgiven them for putting him in that barrel of wine. So the only available men in town were Gaston and LeFou. LeFou would have been a blessing if he had interests in women. Him and Cyan has a mutual friendship. So far Gaston was the only man who asked Cyan for her hand in marriage. The Bimbettes scorn Cyan even more when they heard the brute asked a 'funny' girl to be his bride. She didn't ask for this; she didn't want to marry Gaston anyway! He would be the last person Cyan would want to marry.

"I'm just saying that I don't have much options at this point. I could chase someone that may never want anything to do with me or let a local bully take me as his little wife." Cyan called at her friend. She hung up a couple pair of pants onto the clothes rack and then some socks.

"I doubt you will even go to Gaston for a husband."

"Ew! I wish he would stop insisting that we're perfect for each other."

"It sounds like a match made in a brothel." Rebecca snickered.

"You haven't exhausted all your options, my dear." Agathe spoke from behind Cyan.

Cyan gave a startled scream then tripped over the laundry basket and fell on her right side. Rebecca immediately laughed hard and hugged her sides. Agathe only gave the faintest of smiles at the young girls reactions as Cyan clenched the upper part of her dress. The girls were quick to realize that Agathe had a habit of sneaking behind without her target knowing. They didn't understand why she does this or when she even got there so it made her a scary woman sometimes. Cyan remembered how Gaston called Agathe a spinster that never married; none of the villagers knew who Agathe really was or when she even came to the village. She just showed up one day and everyone just seems to remember her always living in Villeneuve. None of the members wanted to ask where she came from or who her family was just in case if it was too painful for the beggar woman to talk about.

"AGATHE! When did you get here!?" Cyan finally found her voice after calming down.

"I just arrived." Agathe meekly says.

"Agathe's got you once again! You have to teach me how to do that." Rebecca cackled and walked over toward the women.

"It's all about timing and arriving at the right place at the right time." Agathe explains and flinches when the tiger tamer roughly pats her on the back.

"What do we do owe the honor?" Cyan slowly got herself up and dusted the grass off her favorite bluish green dress.

"One of your dancers invited me over for lunch. She mentioned you were having stew." The beggar woman explained. She made her way toward the pot and got a spoonful from the cauldron.

"No, no, no! Agathe, don't eat that!" Cyan and Rebecca cries urgently.

It was too late. Agathe put the spoon in her mouth and the girls braced themselves for her to gag. Immediately she began to have a coughing fit; however, she managed to swallow the small morsel. Cyan ran over toward her to make sure she was okay while Rebecca stayed by the laundry just in case Agathe gets mad. The poor woman had tears running down her cheeks and her body was shaking a little. Cyan kept asking if she was okay before she got her a cup of cold water.

"I'm really sorry, Agathe! I ruined the lunch.." Cyan quickly explains as she helps the beggar woman sit down on a nearby log.

"No. You made sure it was cooked." Agathe reassured her and gladly took the cup. "A good quality for a wife."

"Pfft, please don't make me laugh. I would scare any suitor with my cooking."

"It hasn't stopped Gaston."

"I wish it did. I do not like him, Agathe.."

"He seems to be perfect for you." Agathe sipped from her cup.

"No, he is not! Gaston is nothing but a bully! Ever since we arrived in this village, he has done nothing but belittle my family and try and change me. When I first talked to him outside of the village, he told me I should get dressed before he takes me to the village because my dress wasn't appropriate enough! I refuse to marry a man who controls a woman; to try to make her be what she doesn't have to be! I will not throw myself to a man who will try to cage me!" Cyan seethed with anger when she thought of all the things Gaston had done.

Agathe only took another sip from her cup. Yes, Gaston wasn't exactly a gentleman by all means. He wasn't shy about what he did in the war nor hold back on what he was good at. The beggar woman had heard Gaston was a gifted hunter and was able to catch any animal in his sight. Everyone in Villeneuve adored him and any girl would do anything to be in his arms. Everyone except Cyan. She was a little more peculiar and creative than the young ladies in the village. She wasn't afraid of wearing short dresses which was indecent to the older women. She wanted to express herself and the stories she made up were fun to listen to.

"I don't want to be with a man like that, Agathe. I just want to be me.." Cyan whispered as she looked down at the ground.

"Cadence..you're not done searching. There maybe a person who's waiting for you." Agathe solemnly answered.

Her words sent shivers down Cyan. For some reason, Agathe sounded almost eerie and Cyan didn't know why. She glanced up at the beggar and noticed she didn't have the rings around her eyes anymore as she drank from the cup. Cyan was about to ask what she meant when they heard a loud neigh from behind. A brown horse was running toward the camp and from the looks of it, it was trying to run toward anyone who will listen to it.

"Is that one of your horses?"

"Yes. That's Grandpa Apple's horse Ludwig. But where's his rider and Valjean?" Cyan quickly got up and ran over toward the horse.

Ludwig started freaking out when he saw Cyan and tried to back up from her. She kept shushing him gently before pulling on his harness and rubbed his snout in an attempt to calm him down. It only took a few minutes for the brown horse to recognize Cyan before he could slowly steady himself and let her look him over. There was claw marks on his sides and his back, a wet hand-drawn map stuck in his right front hoof, and he was missing his saddle. Cyan glanced behind the horse to see if Poppy and the men were there, but she saw nothing.

"Ludwig, what happened to Valjean and Grandpa?" Cyan asked the horse. Of course, horses couldn't talk but Ludwig only gave a huff as a response.

Whatever had happened, the map must have something to do with it. Cyan guided Ludwig toward the house before she ran inside and toward Cole's room. The young boy was playing with some of Cyan's toy soldiers and he hadnt asked for permission to play with them. So when his older sister came into his room, Cole was afraid of her getting mad at him for taking her toys. Instead, she completely ignored him and climbed up to her room. The peacock chick was napping on her bed when she tossed a small satchel on it. It jumped up from its spot to watch its 'unwilling' human mother throw five sets of clothes, her nightdress, a decent dress, her Prince Ali doll, a book, and a small bag of food into the satchel. The chick eyed the berries and quickly went in to eat it.

"Oh no, you are not coming with me." Cyan stated and quickly got him out of the bag. "This will be my food rations until I find where Valjean and Grandpa Apple are. I'll follow this map and see where they are and bring them home. None of which you understand...because you are a baby peacock chick."

Cyan set the chick off to the side of the bed and closed up her satchel. She quickly ran toward the ladder, climbed down, and zoomed out of Cole's room. She ignored her brother calling for her to come back and barged out the door. Steven McFallen, one of the acrobats, always kept a spare saddle near the house just in case one of the horses lost theirs. She quickly put fastened it around Ludwig, mounted on him, and they rode away from the camp and into the open fields.

"Let's go Ludwig!"

* * *

Another chapter has been updated! Now we see Cyan messing up lunch. I know how she feels because I messed up on making dinner a few weeks ago. At least my mistake was edible!

For those who know me, I love to use references from previous Disney movies and also from other movies that are not from Disney. I wonder what references are found in this one. We have two more chapters waiting to be checked over so if we are lucky maybe I can post them today!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan, Rebecca, and the circus.

If there is a grammar error or spelling error, please PM me and I will fix it!

Please no mean comments or flames!

Also: thank you for those who have been commenting on my chapters! It's always sweet to read them when I'm trying to think of what to write!


	21. The search for Valjean and Grandpa Apple

The grassy fields were like a endless road as time went by for Cyan and Ludwig the horse. At first it was a nice change of scenery until she realized how far stretch the fields actually were. Cyan was so used to seeing Villeneuve almost every day and watching the vast fields from the circus' camp. She had forgotten how much she hated it when there was literally nothing for miles when you travel. It would drive the poor girl crazy if she didn't have anything to pass the time. However, this time she had a mission: find Valjean and Grandpa Apple. She was following the map that was stuck under Ludwig's hoof and from the looks of the map, she had to keep heading north from Villeneuve and through the fields.

 _'Was Grandpa drunk when he drew this map?! This looks like a child had drawn it!'_ Cyan pondered as she stared at the map. It wasn't exactly easy to decipher because the drawings were like chicken scratch and the paper had water spots on it which Cyan guessed it was because of the storm yesterday. She could tell it was Grandpa Apple's penmanship and that it had Ludwig's hoof print on the middle of the paper. There was nothing around them that the men could have gotten lost around nearby. If they were in the fields, Cyan would have heard the old man ranting about now.

"Okay, so they must've went across these fields and went into what looks like a forest or standing broccoli on this cruddy map. Can you even understand what your owner is trying to draw on this, Ludwig? I mean, the man must have been drunk when he drew this." Cyan explained as Ludwig trotted across the grass.

Of course Ludwig couldn't talk back to her. If he did respond back, Cyan run far away from the horse and search for the men on foot. Talking to Ludwig was the only thing that helped her from losing her mind. She was so used to having someone to talk to when she traveled and all she had was a horse and her doll. It used to be Rebecca or Bella or one of the acrobats who wanted to stop by for a chat when she had to ride on a wagon. Sometimes she would ride with Satin Sally and Cole so the two siblings would make up quick games or even play a prank on one of the members. Their best one was dressing up as a ghost when the circus had to travel at night when Valjean couldn't find them a place to sleep. It was the perfect cover to slip on some old tattered clothes and white powder to scare the others and make Jacque soil himself from it. He was the easiest to scare.

"I think it's supposed to be a forest. So we have to look for one that's large and dense." Cyan explained once she figured out what the drawing was.

Ludwig suddenly stopped and would not move a muscle. Cyan was too busy looking at the map to notice, but she did notice it was kind of dark. Fear jolted through her body when she thought it was getting dark. She didn't bring a lantern with her and it will be hard to read a map by firefly light if she wanted to continue her search. However, Cyan looked off to the side and noticed it was still daylight so they were just in some shade. In front of them was a large, dense wood that seemed to stretch out for miles and the ground was lacking the lush green grass that the fields had and all she saw was leaf clutter from here on out.

"Oh, this must be it. We found it, Ludwig!" Cyan cheered. "Now we continue our search!"

The horse did not want to trot any farther. He refused to set a hoof into the forest. Ludwig didn't want to leave the safety of the fields and into the forest due to what he remembered what happened the previous night. Of course, his current rider didn't understand what was going through the animal's mind as he remembered the wolves and the horrible, ugly monster that attacked his friend, Grandpa Apple, and Valjean. He didn't know what happened to Poppy because he fled out of the gardens without him and now the poor horse had to relive the nightly terror once again if he crossed the forest.

 _'Why is he shaking? Since when is Ludwig afraid?!'_ Cyan pondered to herself when Ludwig began to shake in fear. She couldn't figure out why the horse was shaking until she started to consider what the forest could have. Horses can be skittish creatures and they are easy to startle depending on their experiences as foals. Spiders can come down their silky threads and spook them. A snake can slither under and scare them or a wolf's howl can stop a horse's heart in absolute fear. Cyan didn't blame him for being afraid of these creepy creatures, but this girl wanted to find her adopted father and grump grandpa before night fall.

"Come on, Ludwig. We just have to go through this so we can find the others. It'll be quick and slightly painless if we don't run into spiders." Cyan tried to reason with him.

Ludwig only shook his head roughly and backed a couple steps away from the forest. That was his response and he wasn't going anywhere. Cyan groaned in exasperation at the stubborn horse's attitude. They were going to be here all late afternoon and through the night if they didn't come to some sort of agreement! She started berating herself for trying to negotiate with a HORSE just so the animal can go through a simple forest! It was starting to irritate her because the horse was acting just like Grandpa Apple. Both are cranky, stubborn, and very superstitious about potential scary things. However, they liked the same thing: food.

"Look, I don't want to go through this by myself. If we hurry through this forest, I'll give some apples and lemons to you." Cyan bargained.

Apples and lemons were like candy to horses and Ludwig loved them as much as Grandpa Apple loved his whiskey and bacon. Ludwig's ears pointed up when she said those magic words. His shaking ceased and it started to make Cyan nervous. _'Did I break him!? Why isn't he moving?!'_ Cyan screamed in her head. The horse was her only transportation through the forest and she didn't want to walk across on foot. Spiders and snakes were not as terrifying as a wolf and she doesn't want to be running from a wolf on foot. A wolf knows its territory and a human can only do so much when running for their life.

Suddenly, Ludwig sped into the forest with Cyan jerking around before she finally held onto the horses neck. He had a renewed sense of courage over the promised sweets he will receive. His poor rider was worried she would fall off if he kept this up. Her saddle was strapped on tightly, but the road was bumpy under the horses' hooves along with branches overhanging over them. The branches kept grabbing Cyan's hair and pulled as they kept going through the forest so she tried to pull her cloak over her head. This was a feeble attempt because her cloak quickly tore as they passed trees. Eventually, Cyan saw the road had cut into two paths only the left road had a fallen black tree in front of it. She tried to look at the map without letting it slip out of her fingers. Despite the rough time trying to not to let go, she noticed the map had directions going toward the first road and not the second.

 _'I highly doubt they could go under that tree. Grandpa would have broken his back.'_ Cyan almost smirked at the thought of the old man trying to squeeze under the fallen tree. That thought took a scarring turn once she remembered when she was nine years old, Grandpa Apple tried to go under a fallen log and he was stuck underneath. He told her to try and pull him out only for her to pull his pants right off and realizing he had forgotten to put on his trousers. Cyan shivered at the horrid memory and shook her head. Realistically, Grandpa Apple wasn't limber enough to get into crawl under this tree.

Ludwig didn't bother to stop in front of the crossroads; he ran through the second path as Cyan noticed the darken bark had blue lights emitting from the fallen tree. There was nothing she remember that can glow blue. Either way she would not be able to check what it was because her horse wasn't stopping at all. The air became cool as Cyan looked ahead and saw the forest was now covered in snow and ice. It was only September and snow did not come until the later months of not right now. Fall was still in Villeneuve and the rest of the forest behind her yet winter was upon her. Now she was worrying about her hair or cloak getting snagged by the icy branches because ice was sharp if it formed just right. She wondered if she should have brought her winter coat when she saw Grandpa Apple's satchel and his lantern. The glass was cracked on one side and the handle was bent from the force of the fall. All the satchels contents was scattered on the snowy path. Two pair of holey trousers, a pair of overalls, a banana, three apples, one half-eaten sandwich with very questionable meat, a rusty canteen, and a whiskey bottle.

"Grandpa wouldn't drop his alcohol for no reason. Something's wrong." Cyan grimly says.

Hardly anything can make the grumpy man drop his drink. He could be thrown out of taverns and would not let go of his cup or his bottle. Something must have happened that made him leave his stuff. The bite mark on the sandwich didn't look human. Ludwig didn't even stop to eat the apples because he knew something Cyan didn't. As they continued, she saw Valjean's lantern hanging over a branch off the side. Whatever happened must have made the men spooked and run for their lives. Once again Cyan didn't have time to see for herself because Ludwig kept going even if he had started to slow down a little to reserve his strength. The sun was beginning to set as they trekked through the snowy woods until they reached a large gate. It opened for them as Ludwig got closer and closed behind them once they were on the other side. Cyan quickly looked around when they reached a maze like garden. Like the forest, the garden was also blanketed by snow. Every hedge was frosted, every flower bed was covered in ice, the statues and stony arches were iced over by the weather, and the only sound to be heard was Ludwig trotting through the snow.

In the middle of the a garden was a large, gray castle. It was a giant compared to the tiny farmhouse at the circus' camp. Snow barely covered the roofing because there was a lot of cylindrical points on the castle even though it still looked dangerous if anyone tried to walk across the shingles. Cyan made Ludwig stop in front of a large set of stairs that went toward the front door. She heard a whinny from under the staircase and glanced over to see Poppy in a stable. The tan horse was currently munching on carrot. Cyan got off of Ludwig so he could join his friend in the bountiful feast of hay and carrots. The young redhead looked around on the ground, and seen big footprints in the snow going toward the stairs. The prints weren't from a human judging how there was claw points at the tip of the toes. Cyan got a nearby piece of wood, clenched her satchel's strap, and made her way up the massive stairs.

"This door is humongous...I wonder if a giant lives here." Cyan said to herself as she looked up at the door. "I hope not. They grind human bones into their bread."

Her imagination and her nerves were starting to make her think of unrealistic things. Giants do not exist. There are defects that make a human gigantic on certain parts of the body, but it does not mean the same thing as it is in fairy-tales. Cyan was hesitant in opening the door at the thought of finding her adopted father baked into a bread or her grandpa's pleading voice as he's getting the most violent massage of his life. _'I have to stop reading stories about giants.'_ Cyan berated herself before dismissing those gory thoughts. She knocked on the door three times and pressed her ear against the cold wood. She heard no footsteps coming down or behind the door so she pushed the door open. The door creaked as she slowly stepped inside.

The sound echoed through the castle which probably meant the castle was empty. Despite the doors being huge, there was a smaller human sized door so she could walk through. It seemed like a waste of wood to make a giant door only to use a small portion of it to actually open. However, the foyer wasn't something Cyan was expecting. There was ten poles on the left side and eight poles on the right; each one had a fading gray stone vines coiling at the base until half way up. There was another set of stairs in front of her only it lead to one level and an additional small set of stairs on the east and west wings. At the end of the rails, was a large ivory like dragon carved in. This castle was something out of a dream from the looks of the foyer yet it felt lonely and empty. Beautiful things can be hollow and hide the imperfections or evil that hides behind that mask. Cyan slowly crept inside and looked around for any sign of Valjean and Grandpa Apple or if anyone still lived in this dusty castle.

"Look, Cogsworth! A beautiful girl!" A high, excited voice called from the right side of the room.

"Yes! I can see it's a girl. I lost my hands, not my eyes." A low, irritated voice berated the other.

"But what if she is the one? The one who'll break spell?"

"Who said that?! Who's there!?" Cyan shouted.

She turned toward the voices quickly with her weapon ready to whack if necessary. No one was there at the fireplace nor at the table. The only things she saw on the table was a candelabra and a bronze-gold clock. Cyan walked toward the objects to examine them. The clock looked like it had an miffed look on its face. It was a work of art compared to her former mother's glass clock. However, it was worth taking back with her if no one owned the clock. The candelabra, on the other hand, she would only take it if she knew anyone would want it. Satin Sally may want it, but does she really need another object to whack someone on the head with?

"I was spooked by a clock and a candlestick? I must be losing my mind." Cyan shook her head.

"Get off me!" She heard Grandpa Apple's voice echo.

The voice was coming from upstairs on the west side. It was starting to get dark outside so the inside of the castle was darkening. Cyan grabbed the lighted candelabra before making her way up the stairs toward the ajar door. Of course she had to be careful running with a lighted object in her hand. Cyan had learn pretty quickly that fire and hair wasn't a good combination ever since one of the dancers almost burnt their hair over a torch. Cyan tucked her hair into her cloak before she began running past the door. Unfortunately, there was another set of stairs past the door that she had to go up. It spiraled around the stony pillar and she could hear Grandpa Apple groan in pain. Her legs and feet acted on their own as she ran up the stairs. She kept herself close to the pillar as the higher she got, the less stairs stayed latched to the wall. The castle started to seem less structural than Cyan thought because she began to notice holes in the walls.

"Valjean! Grandpa!" Cyan called out.

"Cyan?!" Valjean cried out.

That hastened Cyan's exercise up the stairs. Her calves started to burn from suddenly moving fast, but eventually, she made it toward a cell door. The two men were inside the cell which did not have a back wall. A gaping hole was in the back of the cell. Grandpa Apple was trying to gnaw what was left on a chicken bone and he would groan in pain if he bite down too hard. That would explain the groans and Cyan was holding back the nerve to slap him. She was reserving the slap for when she lets them loose.

"Valjean!" Cyan placed the candelabra off to the side.

"Cyan, my poor, dear daughter! What are you doing in this forsaken place?!" Valjean quickly asked. He tried to reach through the bars of the door to rub her head. His touch was ice cold compared to her own body temperature.

"I came to find you! Ludwig came back without you or Poppy or Grandpa!" Cyan shook as she rubbed his hands.

"I'm fine! The floor's not comfy, but the chicken's good eatin'!" Grandpa Apple called from behind.

"He would not share! I'm starving and he's eating like a king over there!" Valjean whined.

Valjean hardly ever whined about anything. His stay in this cold castle must have taken a hard toll on him. He looked hungry, shivered from the cold, he had a coughing fit every now and then, and yet his eyes were full of worry. Although he was proud of his adopted daughter for going off on her own and search for them, he was also very worried for her because she didn't know the dangers they have seen in this castle. Grandpa Apple abandoned his chicken bone when he remembered Cyan wasn't in the safety of the cell. The monster of the castle was still roaming around somewhere.

"Now I want you to get out of here right now!" Valjean shouted urgently.

"Why?!" Cyan asked.

"No time to explain, lass! Get out of here 'fore he gets here!" The old man said sternly. After he said that, a menacing growl echoed through the room.

"It's h-him!" The men screamed in horror. They were both shaking in their boots like scared dogs with their tails between their legs.

Whatever it was, it really made them scared. Cyan was also scared of the growl; she didn't know what or who it came from. The room was barely lit with small, burning lanterns spiraling up in the room. It was all left to the imagination to think of what sort of being the growls were made from. Cyan wasn't abandoning her adopted father or her adopted grandfather. She stood her ground and quickly got the piece of board she picked up as a weapon. Though Grandpa Apple wasn't confident in her weapon. He muttered "Oh great, he can pick his teeth with that when he's through eating us all." _'Nice to have supportive family, huh?'_ Cyan thought sarcastically to herself.

"Who's there!? Who are you!?" She called out.

"Who are you?" A low, booming voice called back. It sounded very close to cell. She guessed the person was just above them.

"I've come to free these men!"

"They are _thieves_." The voice hissed.

"That is a lie!" Cyan shook her head

"They stole a rose!" The voice struggled to even keep its tone from yelling.

"I...I asked for the rose! I asked them to bring me a rose so punish me!" Cyan shook her head. Of course, she did ask for a rose but why would someone be in a jail cell for a small flower.

"He means forever, lass!" Grandpa Apple shouted.

"Pardon?" Cyan turned her attention to the men.

"Apparently that's what happens if you pick a bloody flower!" Valjean said in a irksome tone.

"Are you insane?! Why would you throw someone in prison over a stupid flower?! Forever is a long time!" The girl's blood boiled in anger. How cold-hearted was their judge if they are given a life sentence over a rose. That type of sentence was only reserved for stealing from the rich; or if you were in Nottingham.. it was for not paying heavy taxes.

Suddenly, a booming roar came from above along with the sounds of the stone floor crackling under heavy weight. Whoever was in the room was somehow jumping off the stairs to a small ledge on the other side then landed a few steps in the shadows in front of Cyan and the men. The red head wondered how strong was this person or how nimble was he if he was able to bound from place to place with ease. He must have had strong legs and a strong back.

"I received eternal damnation for one. I'm merely locking them away." The voice stated as if it would explain the situation easily. The voice was loud and clear in her ears. The person was right in front of her now.

"I bet you weren't the kindest among people." Cyan muttered under her breath.

"Do you still wish to take their places?"

"That is my choice to make! But I want to see who is talking to me." Cyan stated. She didn't get a response. "Come into the light, you coward! Show yourself!"

Once again, he didn't budge from his spot. Her patience grew thin so she grabbed the candelabra from the ground and held it to the captive. She quickly realized how wrong her action was. The person was nothing more than a massive, furry beast. Although she couldn't see his clothes, she could see his face from the light of the flames. His face was covered in thin, light brown fur with cold blue eyes. His lips barely covered the fangs he had in his mouth. The rest of his head was covered in coarse dark brown fur and on the sides of the head were large, horns which curled a little on the middle. Cyan quickly understood why Valjean and Grandpa Apple were urging her to leave. She couldn't stop the gasp when she saw this monstrous face.

"Choose." The beast said sternly.

"Cyan, listen to me. I won't allow you to do this!" Valjean said.

"Listen, lass! We have already lost enough in our life and we won't lose you as well," Grandpa Apple added. Although he was a coward, he didn't want the young lady to suffer like they did.

"Now go, leave us." Valjean mustered before he began to cough. It only made Cyan worry more about them. However, she had to abide what her elders commanded.

"Alright, Valjean...I'll be on my way." Cyan nodded at the ringleader before turning her head toward the beast. "I wish for a few minutes with them."

The beast only grunted indifferent at her. He wasn't going to let her into that cell. He began to turn his back at her when she threw the candelabra at his back. It didn't really hurt him, but it did make him stop for a moment to listen to her.

"Are you to be so cruel...to not allow a daughter to bid her father and grandfather adieu?! I may never see them again in this life!" Cyan cried at the beast.

Her words barely pierced his heart. Although this girl was afraid of him, she didn't hold back her tongue and speak out to get her point across. She had fire and to him, it was faintly familiar like a distant memory. But her words were true, these men weren't going to see her ever again and he was going to make sure their sentence was as bad as his own. He only took three steps toward the cell and pulled a small lever on the right side of the wall. The door opened with a squeaky noise and Cyan flinched at the horrid sound in her ears.

"When this door closes, it will not open again." He said in a grim, stern tone.

Cyan shook her head, running into the cell, and hugged her adopted father. He was very cold, but she didn't want to let go in fear he would slip away from her again. He hugged her tightly and took a deep breathe to try and hold back his tears. Grandpa Apple hugged her from behind and sniffled a little from sadness. It felt like years since they saw her even though they were only gone for a day. They were just so happy to see her even if it would be for the last time. But, they knew it was worth it because Cyan was going to be safe and sound at the circus.

"My sweet, little girl.." Valjean whispered.

"I should have came with you two.." Cyan whimpered.

"No, no you wouldn't like the wolves chasing us last night." Grandpa Apple suggested.

"You were chased by wolves?!" She looked at them both in fright.

"Don't worry about the details.."Valjean reassured her and rubbed his thumb against her left cheek. "Now, we want you to leave. Please live your life and forget about us. You have freedom."

"W-Why would I forget my father and grandfather...? E-Everything I am is because you r-raised me to be." Cyan stuttered.

"I love you, Cyan." Valjean breathed with tears running down his eyes. He waited for years to hear her call him father. It made his heart warm up.

"I love ye too, you pain in the butt." Grandpa Apple smiled a little.

"Don't be afraid. You will be alright." The ringleader reassured her.

"I am not afraid anymore. I'm just worried about Grandpa's back."

"My back is fine!" The old man shouted.

"That's always good to know. I will escape. I promise you." Cyan whispered in Valjean's ear.

This confused the men. They didn't understand what she meant until she shoved Grandpa Apple toward the ringleader. The men shouted her name as they stumbled out of the cell and she slammed the door shut. Before the cell door closed, Valjean's hat slipped off his head and fell by her legs. Grandpa Apple groaned in pain despite Valjean hit the stony floor. They were still dazed at what just happened. Cyan knew they weren't going to be happy at her actions, but they were going back to the circus instead of rotting in jail. The beast stood between the men and the cell door so he was blocking her view of them. He glanced at the hurt men before turning his attention back to Cyan.

"You took their place." He said in a semi-surprised tone.

"They're my father and grandfather. I would do anything to save them." Cyan explained.

"They are fools. And so are you." The beast spoke in a cruel voice.

"Cyan..." Grandpa Apple said weakly.

"Don't hurt them!" Cyan shouted at the beast when she heard the men groan in pain as they were dragged by their shirts down the stairs.

"No, no, please! Not my daughter! You can't do this to her! She's my little girl! She needs me!" Valjean begged in desperation.

Cyan couldn't see them once they were on the ground level of the room so she crawled her way toward the hole in the back of the cell. The beast was still dragging the men by their shirts, but Valjean struggled to make him let go of him. He didn't have the same strength as the brute, but he was willing to try if he could reach Cyan again. Tears ran down her cheeks as she watched them reach the door. Once again, she was being left behind so someone could be free of her. She was losing everything to carry a life sentence.

"Papa!" Cyan cried.

"I will find you, Cyan! I promise you! CYAN!" Valjean screamed at her.

The beast and the men were finally out of her sights once the door closed behind them. Cyan tried to choke back her tears, but she couldn't stop herself from crying. She cried when her mother sold her and left her behind. The only difference was Cyan was willing to stay behind so her adopted father could be free and so Grandpa Apple didn't have to be in pain if he stayed. It broke her heart more watching them leave her despite it was her choice to stay behind. Cyan was going to see them again soon...one way or another.

* * *

So we learn of Valjean and Grandpa Apple's absence and now Cyan is imprisoned!

This chapter actually made me cry a little when I was writing the end. Anyone can get emotional when they are their favorite characters and I'm always acting like my characters. Even though it can be embarrassing later on if someone saw me. -/- Anyway, the next chapter will be up soon!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the circus!

Please no mean comments or flames!

If anyone sees a grammar or spelling error, please PM me!


	22. Cyan attempts escape

"K-Keep yourself t-together.." Cyan told herself. "Y-You're going to see them soon.."

Cyan kept rubbing her eyes in attempt to dry her tears. She kept repeating this to herself about forty-four times as she twisted and tied her blanket into makeshift rope. It actually took her a while to stop from her ugly sobbing after Valjean and Grandpa Apple was dragged away by her beastly jailer. There was only enough light coming from the candelabra by the cell door so she could see what she was working on. It took a lot of time to make this since the room grew darker while she tied the blanket. That's why she had to move closer to the cell door so she could be near the candelabra's light. It made her agitated due to the thought of the beast coming back and see her trying to escape. This also forced her to restart a few times because she didn't tie right. Cyan wanted to make sure the blanket didn't unfurl when she climbs out of her cell.

"Okay, that should do it. If I can climb down from here, I can get of the room and be free from the castle. I will take my chance running through the woods at night instead of staying here." Cyan muttered under her breath.

She grabbed her bag before she extracted a nail from the stone wall. She didn't understand why there was even a nail in the cell but this would perfect in holding the blanket rope in place. The cell was pretty far above from the room floor and her makeshift rope only reached the middle of the rock column. If she didn't rush down and hang onto loose bricks, she could climb the rest of the way down. _'That shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is not fall and break my legs trying to get out of here.'_ Cyan thought it over. Escape could be hard with a broken leg because there is limited movement in it and it would hurt to even try and move it. She really had to be careful as she scaled down. Cyan forced the nail through the blanket and into the floor. Once she deemed it was safe, she began climbing down.

At first it seemed easy, but the blanket was cheaply made so she was starting to worry about the fabric ripping from her weight. She was only halfway down the makeshift rope as she began to get excited. She was so close to escaping her cell then she could run out of the castle. The circus was waiting for her return. Cole, Satin Sally, Rebecca, Grandpa Apple, and of course Valjean too! Everyone was going to see their beloved ringleader and crazy apple treat maker, but they would be ready to see their storyteller come back to him. That was all she could think of instead of focusing on how far she was scaling down.

"What are you doing?!" The beast shouted from the cell door.

"Huh-?!" Cyan snapped out of her thoughts.

The blanket was starting to rip off the nail and losing its grip around it. Unfortunately for Cyan, she wasn't even halfway down the column so she wasn't going to get a soft landing if she suddenly dropped down. Cyan tried to find something else to grab fast when she heard the cell door open up. Before she knew it, the blanket finally let go of the nail and she started to fall. The poor girl let out a frightful shriek and braced herself for the pain once she landed on the hard, stony floor. Instead, a large hand got her by the back of her dress and hoisted her up into the cell. She opened her eyes to see she was face-to-face with her cold-hearted judge. He was glaring at her as he took away her blanket rope.

"You have very strong arms, do you know that?" Cyan said in a semi-innocent tone.

"You were trying to escape!" He shouted at her before dropping her in the cell.

"I do not dwell in a confined space. Can I have my blanket back?"

"So you can climb down again?! NO!"

"It's cold in here!" Cyan yelled.

"You should have thought about that before you tried to escape! For that, you will not receive dinner!" The beast roared at her and closed the cell door behind him.

"What?! I am starving!" Cyan shouted.

"Well, you should have thought of that before you attempted to leave!"

"How was I supposed to know I would get food?!"

"Do you think I would waste _MY_ food on riffraff like you?! You would only get water and crust of stale bread. I know your kind, fool. Street rats and the ugly that cannot comprehend anything! You can freeze to death for all I care!"

With that being said, the beast stomped down the stairs. Cyan was stunned by his harsh words. Of course she should be used to this kind of treatment since the villagers treated her the same way. However, it was different coming from someone she never met before. Street rat was a common name for Cyan and the other circus members when they went out in the streets. Street rats, gypsies, sickly people, it was all the same hurtful words that tried to break their spirits. Words were just as sharp as a finely crafted sword; they can cut through the skin and leave deep scars that last for a lifetime. However, the word riffraff was something she hadn't heard for in ten years. The red head thought it died out when Grandma Elea passed away when Cyan was only ten years old.

Grandma Elea was Grandpa Apple's wife. Her name was short for Eleanor which only her husband called her. She took the role as surrogate grandmother when Cyan first came to the Golden Dream Circus. The old lady made the best cinnamon apple pies and she was the only one who made Grandpa Apple's favorite food: haggis. Haggis is a Scottish delicacy; it is made out of boiled sheep stomach and stitched inside would be diced liver and kidneys. Sometimes she would add another part of an animal into the stomach, but either way, Cyan and a few other members did not like it. It was enough to make Cyan forget about her appetite right now.

"Oh Grandma...what would you say if you saw me in this situation?" Cyan muttered to herself.

She looked to her left and saw Valjean's top hat right beside her. It must have fallen off when she shoved him and Grandpa Apple out. Cyan quickly held it close to her because she was afraid of losing it if she didn't hold onto it. Once again, hot tears ran down her cheeks as she remembered she was alone in the cell. Cyan felt like she was losing everyone just by staying here. Eventually the circus had to move away from Villeneuve and she wondered if they would forget her and leave her behind. It wasn't likely but it was too cold for her to think straight. All she had was her cloak, her bag, and Valjean's hat. Although she was hungry, she didn't want to go into her bag for the food because she didn't want to eat up her rations just yet.

She could remember how cold it was when Grandma Elea passed away. At first they thought it was just a cough, but it got worse when she had coughing fits and she couldn't breathe very well. Cyan remembered Grandpa Apple bringing in two doctors to help only they didn't want to help the common folk and they just told him to get ready to bury her. It was so cruel how they treated a sickly woman. Grandma Elea didn't lose her smile when she was on her deathbed. She had to keep her husband's spirits up and her adopted granddaughter's as well. Cyan loved her just as any girl should love their grandmother. She would stay with Cyan if she was lonely. She would always sing her a lullaby from her country when Cyan was scared of the storms. It was also the last thing Cyan remembered her singing when she fell asleep by her bedside. When little Cyan woke up the next morning, Grandma Elea had left their world to go to heaven.

" _Little baby, hear my voice. I'm beside you, o maiden fair. Our young lady grow and see your land, your faithful land. Sun and moon guide us to the hour of our glory and honor. Little baby, our young lady. Noble maiden fair."_ Cyan could practically hear Grandma Elea sing in her ears.

Cyan laid down on the floor and hugged the top hat close to her. She wrapped herself up with her cloak as she kept repeating the Scottish lullaby in her head. Whenever Grandma Elea sang this lullaby, she would sing in her native tongue. Cyan would ask what it meant and it would make her smile thinking about how much the older woman loved her. Although Grandma Elea was not of this world anymore, her adopted granddaughter refused to forget about her, or her memory. That lullaby and Cyan's father's lullaby always helped her sleep.

"I miss you Grandma..." Cyan whispered. Eventually, she found the strength to fall asleep. Despite the cold cell, she was willing to fall asleep with the sweet melody going through her head.

"Poor mademoiselle..." A sorrowful, low voice said outside of the cell.

* * *

So our little minx tried to escape. Not very stealthy as she thinks. I think she's lucky Beast saved her even though he took away her blanket.

I also bet you all know the lullaby in this even though it is in english! Hint: it's from a Disney/Pixar movie!

I will sometimes write short chapters so maybe it is a good idea that I post two chapters at once so no one will be disappointed. I am still working on chapter twenty-three so hopefully I can get that done and work on chapter twenty-four! I am super excited because this story has almost 100 faves! I'm so glad you all like this story!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

Beauty and the Beast and the song belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and Grandma Elea!

Please no flames or mean comments!

If you see a grammar or spelling error, please PM me!


	23. Lumiere and the servants

Cyan had a dreamless sleep that night. Her mind didn't want her heart to break even more if she drempt of the circus back in Villeneuve. The night was very chilly and she had regretted her attempted escape because she would still have that blanket if she hadn't tried to leave. Cyan began to wonder if the Beast made patrols and that was why he caught her. If he was, would he have pity on a freezing girl in her cell? Probably not since she didn't feel any warmth during the night. It was almost painful to wake up when the morning light peaked through the few windows in the room. Unfortunately, the sun's rays were not enough to warm her up. It was still chilly as the rays of light landed on Cyan's body.

 _'I wonder if it's worth jumping out of this cell and break my legs just to search for a blanket.'_ Cyan thought to herself. She crawled toward the hole on the other side of the cell. Last night, she was able to get about halfway down until the Beast caught her when she lost her grip. The blanket was made out of cheap materials so it wasn't much of a surprise that it ripped when Cyan put her weight on it. If the Beast had let her keep the blanket, the rip would have brought in more cold air than Cyan's cloak. She was in a huge castle, it was sure to have a lot of rooms to search for one blanket or a nice, lit fireplace. The only way she could even find a decent blanket is if she looked in guest rooms or the Beast's room. Cyan began to wonder if her captor even had a room or if he just slept in a measly nest made out the bones of his enemies. Bones would be too hard to sleep on and it would probably smell really bad after a while. And how much material would it take to make a nest of his size? It would have been warmer than her little cell. No wonder Valjean looked sickly after only being here for a day; the cell didn't hold any warmth.

"I don't think I can stand another night in this forsaken jail." Cyan said to no one in particular. "Now I know why gypsies don't like being confided behind stone walls, but I doubt they were cold like I was!"

Cyan looked down at Valjean's hat and hugged it close. It smelt like his cologne which helped her calm down a tiny bit. However, it also tugged on her heartstrings. She missed everyone in the circus. Cyan wondered if Valjean and Grandpa Apple made it safely back to the camp and if they were really looking for her. This castle was somewhere in the woods and it would be easy to get lost in the forest before anyone could reach the frost-bitten path and reach the gate. Grandpa Apple would have drank some whiskey before he helps the others find the castle which would cause a series of problems. He could fall off his horse, fall into a ditch, get his clothes caught in branches, and that is just thinking of a few things. The old man would be a liability for the rescue team before they even make it to the castle.

"My mind is giving me all these scenarios Grandpa Apple will do, before they even begin to find the castle." Cyan said to herself as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "It's starting to hurt thinking about it."

It hurt her heart to think about the circus, even if she thought about Grandpa Apple failing in some form or another. Comedy was something that came to the old man naturally whether or not he even tries. Although this gave Cyan a little comfort, she wished she could see his antics in person. Strangely, this dingy, cold dungeon made the poor girl feel less alone than being surrounded by the boisterous villagers in Villeneuve or the petty flock of women at Adam's dances. It was an eerily bliss with the cold wind blowing through the open windows. Unfortunately, she did not care as she attempted to reach for the lever outside of her cell door. Her arms weren't long enough. They couldn't reach halfway toward the lever. The bars were like ice pressed against her face as she moved closer in a futile attempt to get closer. _'Curse my short arms!'_ Cyan berated to herself. Her left arm hung from the small crevice of the bars then she quickly tried to retract it when she felt pain from having contact on the cold metal for a few minutes.

"Well that was a waste of time." Cyan said to herself as she rubbed her arm. She made her way toward her cell wall on her right and sat down.

Although her arm was now warm, she still felt chilly on the rest of her body. Her cell was making her little attic room seem like a warm place right now and she wished she was in her cozy bed. She could be in her bed, reading a book until it was time for supper or if she was hungry enough, she could climb down to the kitchen and grab a nice snack. The only thing Cyan did have was her fairy tale book so one out of three was adequate enough for her. She pulled out her book and started to read where she left off. Time always flew whenever she read her favorite stories; even if she did only bring one book. This was a way for her to escape reality until she doesn't have enough light to continue reading. Cyan read _Cinderella_ and _The Frog Prince_ when she heard the lever squeak. It startled her enough to jump a little, and quickly turned her heard toward the door. The door was starting to open up! She was being set out of her prison! But who exactly was freeing her..? Was it Valjean or someone from the circus?!

"Forgive my intrusion, mademoiselle," a voice called off from the side. "but I have come to escort you to your room."

"My...room?" Cyan repeated the last words. So she wasn't being rescued so that little piece of hope died. "But, I thought that beast said-"

"Oh, what? That "once this door closes, it will not open again."" The voice imitated a fake roar that was supposed to be identical to the Beasts'.

Cyan didn't know who exactly it was and she had two weapons on hand. Well, they weren't exactly weapons: just her book and an old wooden stool. She had her book already in hand so it would suffice. The young lady slowly crept her way toward the door and on her left where the lever was. Her 'rescuers' shadow shone from a nearby torch that came from where the cell's lever was. _'Whomever this is must be a servant or another prisoner sent by the Beast. Well, he seems dashing from the looks of his shadow. And very thin.'_ Cyan thought to herself when she glanced at the floor. The storyteller was used to seeing either a villager's shadow or a member of the circus' shadow so she was a little nervous of meeting a new face. But the one thing she didn't understand was why this person was here. There wasn't even a soul in this dreadful castle because she didn't see or hear anyone else when she came inside yesterday.

"I know, he gets so dramatic. He's always like that." The voice chided about the Beast.

Although his voice was both charming and welcoming, his appearance wasn't anything Cyan expected. His shadow was only an illusion because there was a candelabra hanging onto the lever for dear life with one arm. It had all three candles lit and they helped cast his human like shadow on the floor. Whether he was tired or he couldn't support his own weight, it didn't matter because the animated object couldn't hold onto the lever any longer. The candelabra fell to the floor with a small thud and the sound barely echoed through the dungeon. It didn't sound like metal hitting the stony structure. Cyan smacked him with her book while he tried to sit up and it made a loud clanking noise that made her shout in fright. Her book may have a bent cover but she didn't look and see the damage on her beloved book. She was more afraid of seeing if the candelabra was twitching or if it was all just in her head and if she was going mad. Fortunately, she clearly wasn't mad because the candelabra started to move the book off his face and groan in pain.

"Oh, you are very strong! And have a very loud voice! These are great qualities." The candelabra spoke in a wearily cheerful voice.

"What are you...?!" Cyan asked in bewilderment even though she was still in shock.

"I am Lumiere!"

"And you can talk?"

"Well, of course he can talk!" A gruff voice called from the stairs. "It's all he's ever does."

"I beg to differ!"

The gruff voice belonged to the rather unique clock Cyan saw on foyer's table. The 'face' was panting like the clock was out of shape from coming up the stairs. It must have took the poor object a while to get up here. For some reason, the clocks' vocal sounded familiar to her. It pegged through her mind as she tried to remember where she even heard that voice. This made her irritated like she knew the owner of the voice had done something that made her peeved before. Something that she hated to do and was still forced to do; yet she couldn't figure out why it was familiar. Thusly, she was the proud owner of a horrible headache. Her pain only got worse when the grumpy clock spoke louder toward the candelabra name Lumiere.

"Now Lumiere, as head of the household, I demand that you put her back in her cell at once!" The clock shouted as if he was trying to establish his dominance.

"What do you want to be for the rest of your life, Cogsworth? A man or a mantle clock?" Lumiere asked in a slightly hushed tone of voice.

 _'What sorcery is this?!'_ Cyan screeched in her head. _'This cannot be happening! There are talking objects right in front of me!'_ Of course Cyan would be freaking out about this. It wasn't normal seeing a talking candlestick or a grumpy clock; this was only read in storybooks, in dreams, and never in the real world. Or it could be an illusion created from Grandpa Apple's appetizer after he put funny little mushrooms in the vegetables. She hasn't ate anything since yesterday and the last thing she ate was her burnt stew which her body refused to let it stay. And Grandpa Apple hasn't cooked in a long time so it wasn't his funny appetizer. She was also wide awake so this was actually real.

"Ready, miss?" Lumiere called her out of her thoughts.

"Pardon?" Cyan looked back over toward the charismatic candlestick.

"Are you coming with us or not? It's not exactly the right place for a woman like yourself."

"Are you sure this a good idea?"

"No it's not." Cogsworth shook his 'head'. "We would probably get into trouble if you come with us."

"Okay, I'm going with you then."

Cyan grabbed her book, then turned back into her cell to gather the rest of her stuff. Of course she wasn't leaving her bag or Valjean's hat behind. She was going to cling onto her precious things for as long as she can. Although, she was considering changing her mind when she overheard Lumiere tell Cogsworth "Trust me." She wasn't too keen in staying another minute in this dingy cell, but she was thinking of what was actually going on in this particular castle. Of course, Cyan was always a curious person; this could be her downfall if she wasn't careful. The objects lead her out of the dungeon though they had to go upstairs instead of going downstairs like when she first came in. Lumiere also insisted that he was to be carried so he could light her way out even though Cyan really didn't want too. However, she had no choice. She didn't want to slip and fall down a large number of stairs just because she couldn't see in the dark.

Cogsworth led the way despite he had stubby little 'legs'. The red head wondered if she should carry him too, but she didn't want to either. Holding Lumiere was embarrassing despite the flames on his candles made her feel warm. This was welcomed tremendously when the small group walked through a door and Cyan realized they were going to walk on a small, fenced platform on the castle roof! The fence itself had a light dusting of snow on it and the metal shined with the limited sunshine. These barriers must have cost a fortune since they stretched halfway toward the other side of the castle. Whomever lived here must have been rich at some point to be able to afford everything in and on this castle. Cyan was only glad she won't fall off the roof if she slipped on an icy spot; however, she was worried about possible impalement if it was even possible for her to slip and wedge herself in the sharp points on the fences.

"I have a question: why are we walking on the roof instead of walking in the foyer inside where it's warmer." Cyan looked over at Lumiere and shivered a little from the cold.

"Because this is a shortcut to your room, madam."

"It's the coldest shortcut I have ever walked on."

"You must forgive first impressions. I hope you are not too startled." Lumiere added.

"Why would I be? I'm holding a talking candle and being lead by a grumpy clock." Cyan said in a snarky tone.

"Candelabra, please! Enormous difference!" The candelabra said in proud voice.

"Hm, not really."

"But consider me at your service." Lumiere brushed off her comment. "The castle is your home now so feel free to go anywhere you like.

"Except the west wing." Cogsworth stopped in the middle of the path before he turned around toward Cyan. Lumiere quickly looked at his friend and shook his candle hands fast. Something about this gestured bothered the young lady because Cogsworth's face froze as if he had said something he shouldn't have. "Which we do not have."

"Why? What's in the west wing?" Cyan asked and looked back at Lumiere. "Is there something I should know?"

"Oh, nothing." Lumiere quickly replied and crossed his arms behind his back.

"Nothing." Cogsworth repeated.

"Storage space."

"Storage space."

"That's it." Lumiere added.

"That's it." Cogsworth once again repeated.

"Yes, that's it." Lumiere nodded fast.

Okay, this seemed strange to Cyan. One, there had to be a west wing because the castle would have a gaping half where another section should be and the castle would have been colder than the dungeon itself. Two, Cogsworth was quick to change his tone and his story when Lumiere made that waving hand gesture after he mentioned the west wing. Third, Cyan never heard of a west wing being used as storage space that made anyone uneasy about. Something about this made Lumiere uneasy and Cogsworth afraid.

"This way, please. To the east wing." Cogsworth ushered them as he continued leading the way.

"Or as I like to call it, the only wing." Lumiere mustered a semi fake laugh. "Watch your step, s'il vous plait!"

Cogsworth lead them toward a small tower that had a small staircase going down into the east wing. _'More stairs!?'_ Cyan thought as she let out of a irritated groan. She was getting tired of walking on stairs. She was lucky these were not as long as the ones in the dungeon. Cogsworth came up to a wooden door and pushed it open to reveal a completely different hallway than Cyan has seen so far in the castle. The hallway had a bluish green paint on with gold titled designs on the walls and on the other side of the door. Was the walls made out of jade and the the designs crafted from gold? Cyan pondered that a bit before she felt Lumiere wiggle out of her grip and hop on Cogsworths head. It made a loud ding so there must have been a bell on top of his head. Cogsworth stopped in his tracks as he begrudgingly muttered in annoyance at his comrade. Lumiere, on the other hand, was indifferent to his actions. He walked toward a set of doors in front of them and pushed them open.

"Welcome to your new home. It's modest, but comfortable." Lumiere explained to Cyan as she made her way into the room.

Modest wasn't the right word for this room. Of course, the only modest thing inside was the wooden floors. The rest of the room was extravagant. The walls had slightly golden panels, a large white stained window with a small bed underneath, and bluish green paint on the actual walls, There was three crevices that housed a large wardrobe, a vanity mirror, and a small chair with curtains in front. The furniture had a couple small chairs, a cushioned bench, a fold out cover, and a large bed with plush blankets and wooden roof frame. The ceiling was the most beautiful thing in the room: there was what looked like overhanging golden branches dangling half way toward the floor and the ceiling was painted to look like a blue sky with cherubs flying in different directions of the room.

"Modest!? This is practically puts my little attic room to shame!" Cyan explained and she dropped her bag near Cogsworth in shock.

"But of course! Master wanted you to have the finest room in the castle." Lumiere gave her a flashy grin and bowed for her.

"Your master...?" Cyan asked in uncertainly.

The candelabra ignored her question in favor of running toward her new bed. Lumiere jumped up onto the bed and landed on side as if he wanted to show how 'comfortable' she could be on it only as soon as he hit the covers, dust emitted from his landing and scatter around the bed. It must have been ages since someone actually was on the bed if there was that much dust hidden inside. Cyan was only glad Lumiere didn't position his flames toward the covers or else the whole room would be in flames. The candelabra also didn't expect the bed to be very dusty since he began to cough when particles of it went into his mouth and nose. But could he even breathe if he is made out of metal?

"Oh, dear. We were not expecting guests." Lumiere said sheepishly as he waved his left hand.

Cyan gave a small laugh at his response. She didn't like the idea of having to stay in the castle, but she did like how funny Lumiere was in this. She looked down at her bag to see it was moving a little. Cogsworth also noticed this and he quickly moved away from it. No one wanted to get close to the bag and Lumiere definitely wasn't coming off the bed now. The bag opened up from something trying to push itself out and it revealed...the peacock chick. _'How did it get in there?!'_ Cyan screamed to herself. She quickly got the chick out and checked her bag to find the chick had eaten her food rations. The fruits, the nuts, the bits of cheese, half of a cracker, and the lovely blackberries were gone. The only thing left to eat was the two small candies Agathe gave her which were protected in the small little bag. Cyan was glad that the candies were alright, but now she had to think of something else for food.

"What is that?!" Cogsworth screeched.

"That would be the tiny terror of mine." Cyan explained.

"Did you have that menace in your bag this whole time!?"

"I didn't know it was even in there!"

The tiny ball of feathers looked around, saw Cogsworth, and chirps frantically before hiding behind Cyan's legs. It was afraid of the grumpy clock despite the knickknack was also afraid of the chick. Perhaps it was afraid of its own reflection on Cogsworth's glass middle or it was just afraid of his loud, intimidating voice. But whatever the case, this little animal had confidence issues and was in desperate need of a cuddle. Cyan scooped up the tiny bird and the peacock chick immediately huddled close to her. It was a surprise that the chick managed to stay warm during the night, but right now it was glad to be close to his human mother. Both the chick and Cyan turned their attention to a small white, peacock feather duster that flew into the room from behind them. The base of the duster looked like polish ivory or just porcelain. She couldn't tell by the looks of it. There was eight head feathers and two long white, cleaning feathers at the end of the base.

"Enchanté, mademoiselle. Don't worry, I'll have this place spotless in no time." The feather duster told Cyan.

She was very graceful flying around different spots of the room as she cleaned. She cleaned a few gold panels on the right before flying toward Lumiere on the bed. The feather duster had him in a trance as if she was seducing him to keep his eyes on her. He welcomed her in his arms as she landed close to him. These two clearly knew each other very personally.

"This plan of yours is dangerous."

"I would risk everything to kiss you again, Plumette." Lumiere said in a loving voice.

"No, my love. I've been burned by you before. We must be strong." Plumette tried to push him a little bit away from her.

"How can I be strong when you make me so weak?"

Cyan felt sick just watching the scene. It was sweet to see such starstruck lovers together like this, but Cyan wasn't exactly one for romance. This wasn't the first time Cyan has seen something like this. Valjean and Satin Sally would do something like this every day. Whether they were traveling or staying in one spot, Valjean would try and flirt with his dancer of a wife. He would say he hated being far from the love of his life. Once, they were traveling to Nottingham and Satin Sally was riding on one of the acrobats horses and Valjean yelled "I cannot bear to let this distance split us apart!" He rode toward her and practically tackled her down into the dusty road. Lumiere and Plumette reminded Cyan of her adopted parents which made her stomach sick and her heart sad. She wondered if Satin Sally missed her, and if Valjean and Grandpa Apple made it back to the camp. Luckily, Cogsworth 'coughed' to catch the lovers attention before they were about to kiss. They were trapped in their own little world that they forgotten there was still people in the room watching.

"Is everything in this room alive?" Cyan asked in an attempt to devoid attention from the embarrassed couple. She had heard loud snoring nearby and she picked up a nearby brush from the vanity mirror. "Hello, what is your name? Can you talk?"

This must have been wrong. Lumiere facepalmed quite loudly since he was made out of metal while Plumette had began to laugh at Cyan. The chick shook its head at her like it knew the brush wasn't going to talk. Lumiere started to laugh along with Plumette.

"That is a hairbrush." Cogsworth stated.

The source of the snoring came from the wardrobe on the left of Cyan. The piece of furniture was massive and tall compared to the little one she had in her attic room. It was lovely shade of blue, with gold legs, arms, and trimmings around the drawers and on the head. Two long drawers, two short drawers, and two drawers in the middle of the dresser. There was a set of doors on the 'face' of the wardrobe where the snoring was also coming from. The wardrobe opened up with a high pitch vocalization that made Cyan jump back, and the chick to wriggle out of her grip to hide under the bed. Cyan was ready to hide as well, or at least cover her ears from the boisterous noise.

"Do not be alarmed. This is just your wardrobe!" Lumiere exclaimed before he jumped down from the bed. "Meet Madame De Garderobe. A great singer."

"When she can stay awake." Cogsworth added.

"Cogsworth! A diva needs her beauty rest." Garderobe scolded him while she pulled out a white fan to fan herself. She let out a loud yawn.

"Stay with us, Madame. We have someone for you to dress." Lumiere gestured to Cyan.

"Have someone to what?" Cyan spun around toward Garderobe.

"Finally! A woman!" It snapped her out of sleepiness so she can examine the poor girl. She moved her metal 'hands' around Cyan's face "Ahhhh...pretty eyes, proud face...red hair...have we met before?"

"I should hope not." Cyan winced from how cold her hands were against her skin. Of course, Garderobe didn't have a face but the small blue curtains inside moved like eyes and mouth as she examined Cyan.

"Nevertheless a perfect canvas. Yes! I will find you something worthy of a princess!"

"P-Princess? I don't think I have the traits to be a princess.."

"Nonsense! Now let's see what I have in my drawers."

The lower drawer opened up with dust coming off her and moths flew out of the drawer. Cyan coughed when the dust came up to her face and she waved her hand frantically to move it away from her. The bed wasn't the only thing that needed dusting. Plumette was quick to call as she began to dust off the bed and the nearby furniture. Garderobe was clearly embarrassed about the moths since there was lot coming out of the drawer and Cyan wondered if she was going to wear eaten clothes left by the moths.

"Oh, how embarrassing..." Garderobe muttered to herself before she pulled a large pink and blue striped undergown and pulled it over Cyan's head. "Froufrou, come help Mama!"

Instead of a dog, a light blue footstool came running into the room. It looked eager to help its 'mama' as Cyan's vision was clouded by pink and red fabrics coming out of the drawers and swirling around her. Or was it just her being spun around by Garderobe and the fabric is just being tied around her. Either way, she was starting to get dizzy from this. Froufrou grabbed one of the red ribbons with its 'mouth' and gave it a good tug which made Cyan gasp startled when her waist became tightened. This was starting to get uncomfortable because Cyan hated wearing a corset and it was starting to feel tight around her waist, arms, and legs. A powdered wig flew out of a drawer and Garderobe placed it right on the young lady's head and Garderobe giggled at her accomplishment. In the vanity mirror, Cyan saw she now wore a wretched, overgrown pink dress with bright red ribbons around her waist and chest. Around her neck was two white and pink bead necklaces with three small pink bows going down her chest. Yellow fabric hidden under the pink ribbons at the end of her dress that looked like the understudy of a tragic fashion design. The wig on her head was just as dusty as Garderobe herself and Cyan was struggling not to sneeze.

"Perfecto!" Garderobe proudly chimes.

"Subtle. Understated. I love it!" Lumiere exclaimed as he backed up toward the door with Plumette and Cogsworth. "We will come back when it is time for dinner!"

"Froufrou send my love to the maestro!" Garderobe hollered at the footstool before the door closed behind them. She quickly hunched over slightly and fell back to sleep.

"I refuse to wear this." Cyan said to no one in particular. She took off the wig. "This isn't me."

She dropped the wig off to the side just when the peacock chick started to come out from under the bed. The coast was clear and the room was semi quiet except for Garderobe's loud snoring. The little bird looked around to see if there was anyone else left in the room only to find its human mother in that awful dress. It narrowed its eyes in disgust and gave out a weary chirp. The chick didn't want to come more than five steps away from Cyan while she was still wearing that thing. Peacocks are sometimes picky birds and they wouldn't like a person wearing clothes they didn't approve. The adults didn't approve of Cyan anyway so the chick was the first one to ever like her, but even it hated the dress she was wearing now.

"You don't like it either, don't you." Cyan stated at the chick before she slowly bent down inside the dress and crawled out of her fabric prison. "That makes two of us."

Cyan poked the chick on its beak and it chirped happily at her before snuggling into her cheek. She picked it up and looked around the room. It made her feel tiny. The room was beautiful but it also made her feel sad. It wasn't like her old cell, but she couldn't help but feel trapped. Cyan wanted to go back home but first she has to figure out how to get out of the castle. She made her way toward the window and opened them only to see there was already a problem. Her room was on the very top of a tall tower on the castle. It was a very long drop to the ground and she didn't know if her and the chick could survive the fall or be lucky enough to have a broken leg or wing on impact. _'I need something to climb down from here. Something sturdy and won't break.'_ Cyan pondered on what to use until she looked back on the horrid pink dress. The ribbons and fabric could work since Cyan felt how tight the ribbons could be when Froufrou tightened her waist. They can use used for a rope!

However, Cyan wanted to be alert and wide awake when she starts fashioning them into rope. And there was something else she wanted to do. She wanted to go to that ball Prince Adam was having. It was pretty early for the ball. It was almost four and the dance was probably going to start at night. She had enough time to get ready and take the candy even if she was going to be early for the ball. Garderobe was too deep in her sleep to notice her ward was stripping out of her clothes. If she had woken up, she would probably like the dress Cyan was going to slip into. The dress wasn't something Cyan wore every day; in fact, she barely wore it unless it was a very special occasion. It was a white dress that was very different from her other dresses. The back of the dress opened up, dipping down to Cyan's lower back. Frills went around the neck, waist, and open-ended sleeves. The chest had a teal cross pattern to Cyan's collarbone. From there, a pattern was started, and ended at the frills around the waist. The pattern was a teal, swirling pattern that went on top of the white fabric. Below the frills at the waist, the dress parted down the middle. The same cross pattern covering her chest was all that hid her legs. Underneath the frill at the waist, even more fabric was held with matching teal rose-like pins. Underneath these pins, the rest of the gown flowed freely toward her feet. Cyan wore white stockings and teal shoes under the dress so she wasn't going to be cold at the ball. This wasn't something Cyan would want to wear a lot because she didn't think she fit the gown when Grandpa Apple bought her the dress. It was a present from Grandma Elea in case she wasn't alive when Cyan turned eighteen.

Cyan brushed out the tangles in her hair before she put on the finishing touches. She put a faint white eye shadow before she placed the mask on her face and put on her white gloves. Now she was ready. Her dress was clean, her hair was combed, and the mask was put on. Of course she had to be very careful when she climbs into bed and rests her head. She didn't want the dress to be wrinkled before she goes to see the prince. _'I wonder how he will react to this one. He didn't like my gypsty outfit on the first thing, but he didn't complain much about my second outfit. He said it was still rags but it was decent enough.'_ Cyan thought.

"What do you think of this?" Cyan turned toward the peacock chick.

It seemed to like her in this dress compared to the awful one Garderobe made for her. Its delightful chirps was enough for Cyan to go to the ball with this outfit. Cyan took out one of the candies from the bag and popped it in her mouth. It seemed a lot more bitter than the last two; there was nothing sweet or savory about it once she swallowed it. She mustered the strength to walk toward the bed and carefully pull the covers off then slowly climbed into bed. It didn't take very long for her to feel like she was slipping into sleep as she pulled the covers toward her neck. Her vision began to blur while she watched the peacock chick climb onto a chair to sleep in. Then, her eyelids closed on their own and her world went black.

* * *

So now Cyan realizes the castle has odd servants! I wonder what will happen next.

Cyan's dress is based off the Grace Edition of Cantarella by Vocaloid. I recommend giving it a look because it is so beautiful!

A friend of mine told me students from my old college East Georgia State College was talking about my story in class. For the ones who did, THANK YOU! x3 It made me so happy and surprised! You're gonna have tests and finals coming up soon so don't give up!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan, the circus, and Grandma Elea.

If anyone sees a spelling or grammar error, please PM me so I can fix it.

No flames or mean comments!


	24. Third night: Prince Adam gets ready

Tonight was supposed to be one of the biggest balls so far. It was the beginning of a very long day for the servants. Prince Adam was having another ball and it meant a lot of work for the staff. It seemed like every night there was always a dance for the prince just so he could be surrounded by beautiful people. Of course, there were nights where he didn't want to see anyone and the staff would get the night off from prepping and planning. Preparing the dance took a lot of energy out of the staff. The cook created tasty appetizers for the guests even though many of the guests would probably not try his food. His culinary masterpieces would go to waste from picky vultures that would maybe be his master's lady. Maids trailed the rooms with mops and polished the dance floor until it gleamed. Some of the maids made sure the rooms were dusted and left no surface not dusted. They were only dusting the foyer and the ballroom since that was all where the guests was going to be, but their majesty insisted they clean the whole castle regardless. Once they were done with the cleaning, they may be allowed to go to the ball if they find something nice to wear, but they may just stand by and relax while they can.

One of the cook's sous-chief gave an order to a nearby fille de chambre to bring a couple bottles of their best champagne to the prince's bathroom. She was handed five bottles before she scurried up the foyers stairs, turning to the left, ran down a hall, turning to the right to go up a small set of stairs, then finally turning left again. She honestly didn't understand why Prince Adam wanted this much until she knocked on the bathroom door. A male servant answer the door and she was able to look behind him to see the prince bathing in a large white tub with what seemed like thirty-five empty bottles of champagne scattered around the room. She didn't see much of the prince because his back was turned to the door but she was still flustered at the sight. The male servant only rolled his eyes when he saw her stare at the naked prince before took the bottles from her hands and scurried toward the bathtub.

"It's cold in here!" the prince yelled.

"Sorry sir, Sierra has not closed the door just yet." The servant explained.

"Close the infernal door!" Adam ordered behind him.

"Y-yes your h-highness." The poor maid stammered before she closed the door abruptly.

It was normal for the prince to be cruel toward his staff even if it was for a little thing such as leaving a door open. Anyone who saw Sierra run away from the door would know that it was because she was yelled by the Prince. Adam was always grumpy and selfish, but his worst was always before his lavish balls. His Majesty had a odd routine to do before he could present himself to his public and he wanted to look perfect. It began with a relaxing, champagne bath. The champagne had to be the finest and the most expensive drink they had in the castle. It was also the hardest to open for the servants. There were casualties when attempting to open one of the bottles due to the cork wedged in the bottle. Already there was one servant down from having a cork in the eye and one had a busted lip. They would open the bottle close to the window so the cork could fly out into the garden where there wasn't anyone to hit. The gardener will pick up the corks quickly before the prince will notice. Adam believes the expensive drink will help make him enchanting when he starts to dance with one of the ladies so she would want him more. The smell could intoxicate her and make her beg to stay with him. It also relaxing for him because the bubbles helped massage his body.

However, it seemed a little different tonight. Adam would laugh when more champagne was poured in because it was a joke to him to use expensive drinks and waste them on himself. Now, all that was on his face was just a irritated look. Something was bothering him tremendously, but his servant was afraid of asking in fear he would get yelled just as bad as he did to Sierra. He just continued opening the remaining five bottles and poured it into the bath. The surface bubbled up with the newly poured drink and the hairs on Adam's body stood up with the fizz going over his skin.

"Is there anything else I can do you for-"

"Get my towel."

"But sire, I just poured in five bottles in your-"

"I said get my towel!"

His harsh tone spooked the poor man to quickly run to the other side of the room. Of course, the prince didn't want to wait for his towel. He got out of the tub while the squeamish servant struggled to pull the towel off the rack. The towel was very soft and sometimes the thread will get caught on the rack so the servant has to be careful or else it could rip. Once he finally got it loose, he spun around to see Prince Adam standing by the tub naked. It only meant more cleaning for the maids because they have to drain and clean the tub and now they have to scrub the drink out of the bathroom tiles before it becomes sticky. The prince didn't acknowledge the servant as he rubbed the towel against his legs and his arms then he handed the prince his white rob.

"The preparations have been finished, your highness." The servant explained as he walked him toward his room. "The ballroom has been cleaned and polished, the chief has prepared wonderful appetizers made of kiwi, watermelon, and cheese, and we have Plumette ready to do your makeup."

"And the guests." Adam asked while the servant took off his robe.

"We have invited all of the lovely ladies from Villeneuve to Paris. They are already here waiting on your presence, your highness. Miss Sofia Del Wolfe is requesting to be the first to dance with-"

"What about the gypsy girl." Adam interrupted as he had his hair dried with a different towel by the servant.

"I-I beg your pardon, sire?"

"Has the gypsy girl shown up yet? Has she arrived yet?" Adam's voice was starting to rise with vexation.

"The w-who?" The poor man stuttered.

"The gypsy girl! The black sheep that wears rags! The one that keeps showing up for the past two nights!"

"N-Neither of us have seen her y-yet. We still have a few stragglers so she m-may show up very soon.."

"I gave her a bloody invitation! She better show up!"

Adam grabbed a nearby water pitcher, tossed it at the door, and it shattered on the floor. His anger was going to get the better of him if he didn't lower his temper tonight. Countless thoughts of how to calm the prince down was surging through the poor defenseless servant's head. He only had a few ideas, but began to doubt if they would actually work. He could try talking about Sofia Del Wolfe who was the daughter of a very wealthy aristocrat in Paris. Her father ran a jewelry company that had diamond mines in Africa. She was always invited to every dance the prince had hosted and she would try and invite him to some of her father's garden parties with no success. Sofia was one of the most beautiful out of the many female guests the prince invited and many of the staff believed she was the one. The prince wanted everything that was beautiful and they wondered if she was one of those things since he always invited her.

"Sire, Mademoiselle Del Wolfe is attending the ball tonight. She has asked Lumiere if you are willing to honor her with the first dance."

"And why would I want to waste my time with that horrid excuse of a woman." Adam scorned. He was getting dressed by two of his personal servants while the timid one tried to calm him down.

"You have spent a great number of time with her before." One of his other servants mentions

"And she is very fair." The other added.

"She may be beautiful; however she is anything but fair! That sow has the gall to think she can command me to dance with her first! I refuse to even give her a sideways glance!" Adam once again raised his voice.

"That is a little...harsh." The timid servant finally spoke out. "Do you think you should give her a little more of a chance..?"

"She acts like she is the mistress of my castle. Ordering my servants, insulting the housekeepers little boy for tripping over her gown, and practically soiled the foyer floor when she knocked over a tray of food!" Adam grew even more impatient as his hair was getting brushed by one of the men.

Of course, Sofia wasn't as angelic as her appearance shows. She had the temper to matched Adam's though she would have been a tad more devilish than he was. The prince had his limits on how cruel he was toward his own servants, but Mademoiselle Del Wolfe did not hesitate in showing her meager nature. She didn't like any of the staff members. She didn't seem to like anyone except people with power such as the prince. If Sofia had her way the staff would probably be imprisoned over something so trivial such as tripping over her gown or even giving her a weird look. No one can deny Sofia Del Wolfe was a gorgeous woman, but no one wants to be around her with that cold personality of hers. Then again, it was a shock for some of the servants because Adam hardly talked bad about her. He would dance with her when the ball started and kept coming back after changing partners with the other girls.

"My d-deepest apologizes for as-asking this, but are you saying this because of this...'gypsy' girl?" The servant asks.

"What?" The prince turned his head toward him even though it yanked his hair a bit as the other servants was trying to tie his hair up so he could wear his white wig on top of his head.

"Hold still, sire! This will be painful if you keep pulling away!" One of them exclaimed as they tried to finish up as quickly as possible.

"What do you mean, Nicholas?" The prince asks in a fake calm voice.

"We-well...a lot of us have noticed a change in you since this girl started showing up. You have invited her to dinner and now you invited her to another ball." Nicholas gulped nervously.

"I find her...interesting."

"Interesting? My prince, the first night she showed up uninvited and she wore rags. She even insults you and thrown your own supper."

"And another prince shows up asking her to join him for dinner. She is a black sheep and he has a higher status." Adam added. His brow narrowed remembering that night. All he could smell after the dance was the cranberry sauce inside his nose.

"Many of us were talking about that. You seemed jealous over the poor girl giving Prince Ali attention-" Nicholas began to explain.

"We do not speak of his name!" Adam barked.

"A-as you wish, your majesty. But you seemed interested in making her talk about him last night. You seem to love this girl."

"'Love'?" Adam began to laugh in almost mocking tone. "Do not make me laugh! There is no such thing as love."

"Love does exist. It just takes a bit of time before you realize it is there."

"I do not want to hear anymore of this."

This was a sign for Nicholas the servant to walk out of the room. He quietly thanked God for keeping the prince's temper at bay until he was safe to get out. Now Adam could prepare for the dance in peace. Or so he wished because he couldn't. Nicholas' words pegged the prince's pride over how everyone saw him with that mystery woman. _'Love the gypsy girl? Pfft, I am only enjoying my new toy until I'm done with her.'_ He could keep thinking that, but something just didn't feel right about what he was saying. This gypsy girl was different from the other women he had by his side. She wasn't afraid to yell at him or change for him unlike the other guests he had invited in the past. Another girl would change her attitude or how she dressed in order to appease him just to get a few more minutes of his time. They would be afraid of his temper and try anything to calm him down even if they are willing to part with a small fortune just to make him happy. Adam had enough money to spend; he taxed heavily on his subjects and spent a lot of it to fill his castle with beautiful things. The gypsy girl didn't have anything on her person that was worth anything to give. She had a sharp tongue, a temper to match his own, and she was indeed interesting.

As much as Adam hated to admit, he seemed a little happy when he knew she was coming. Of course, last night she was late and he found her on his throne. She didn't look very comfortable on his golden throne yet she still spent time with the housekeeper's son. That little boy was one of the only servants he would not raise his voice to. Sofia Del Wolfe did not like the boy and did not hesitate in showing it after he tripped over her dress. In contrast, the other girl didn't mind having the little boy in her company. Despite her poor status, she already captured another prince's affections from how Prince Ali acted around her. It tugged on Adam's nerves when he remember how loving Ali was toward her. Was he that jealous of another prince after his actions and how easily the girl talked about him? Whatever the case may be, he was going through great lengths to find her tonight.

"Has anyone seen the gypsy girl show up?" Adam asked Plumette as she fixed his makeup.

"I'm afraid not, monsieur. No one has seen her yet." She replied.

"How hard is it to find a girl dressed in rags!?" His left eye twitched. She was applying blue eye shadow above his eyes and she began to apply a little red makeup on his lips.

"Perhaps she doesn't want you to find her so easily. Eyes closed." She instructed before she patted his face with a powder brush. "Poof, poof."

He was wearing the same outfit he wore when he met the stranger girl. The starry suit was altered to have more 'stars' on the black fabric and more dark gold sewed into the vest and the rims of the jacket. This was one of his favorite attire and he wanted to make sure he looked perfect for the dance. The wig was place on his head gently before the servants made sure it was secured enough so it wouldn't fall off. He grabbed a nearby mirror and looked at his reflection. _'Perfection. That is what I am. Absolute perfection in the highest order.'_ He admired himself in the mirror.

"Master, it is time." A gruff voice called from the door.

It was time to start the dance. The mirror was removed from his hand as the prince made his way out of his room. He was ready for the night to begin. Of course he will make his guests wait- for royalty is never late, everyone else is early. Adam walked down the hall, down a small set of stairs, down another hallway, then down the foyer stairs. He made his way toward the ballroom where his guests waited for his presence. He was met with giggles and the occasional swoons by the pretty ladies, but he didn't waste his time listening to them. He was trying to listen for a snide remark as the telltale sign that his prize was somewhere in the room. Unfortunately, all he could hear was the small praise he received from the women. He made his way toward his large, gold throne and sat down.

 _'Where are you, my gypsy?"_ He thought to himself as he glanced around the room. After all that talk about not finding the girl, Adam thought he could easily spot her. Unfortunately, that was not the case. There was not a single woman in rags in the crowd. Every woman was properly dressed and primed for the dance. Now the prince started to believe why none of his servants could find her; she was blending in with the crowd. What a clever little minx. Of course, she wasn't going to let him find her so easily like when they first met. Adam looked straight at his musicians and snapped his fingers once. That was their cue to start the music. The violinists began the first note, then the cello, and then the pianist. His singer wasn't going to sing until the prince was at the fifth or fourth partner in the dance. He only needed four tries to find his prey. The hunt was on!

He ascended from his large throne and the ladies bowed at his feet before beginning to dance with the woman next to her. Adam went toward the first lady that caught his eye. Her hair was a tanned woman with ebony black hair and her eyes were blue. Her dress was white with waves of frills rolling down the dress. This wasn't the gypsy girl. She may blended in with the crowd, but Adam doubted she would wear this much frills. Her hair was also not black; it was red. He easily move toward the next girl only to see her skin was also tanned, but her hair was blonde. Adam's patience was growing thin even though this was only his second try. He quickly looked around the room trying to spot any girl with red hair. However, this only worked because he saw two of the women had red hair and he shifted toward the next girl as the prince made his way toward the middle.

"My prince, it has been so long since we were together like this." His partner replied. Much to his disdain, it was Sofia Del Wolfe. Her hair wasn't exactly red, it was brunette and her hair was put in a high ponytail with a yellow winged crown around her forehead. Her gown was white with puffy fabric around her shoulders and rose like detail on the end of her dress.

"Obviously, it wasn't long enough for one of us."

"Don't act like you do not care about me. After all, you find me more interesting than that hideous little gypsy."

"She was anything but hideous." Adam scorned as he looked around trying to find her.

"Why not just stay here with me?! I have more to offer you than she ever can!" Sofia's anger was getting the best of her.

"And yet you have nothing I want!"

His own anger was starting to boil because of her unpleasant company. His mind struggled to remember what his gypsy girl looked like without trying to order Mademoiselle Sofia out of the castle. She was like a wolf in sheep clothing; her temper matched a ravenous wolf who will not give up her chase until it was run ragged. However, her 'prey' was not going to give in. The last thing that Adam remembered about the girl was she always wore a white mask. Right behind the couple was a young lady with red hair, an unusual white gown, and a white eye mask on her face. She was dancing with a dark skinned woman who seemed to be glaring at her gown because she could barely see her partners legs. If a lady showed her legs in public, it was considered indecent because her legs were only to be seen by her husband or just herself if she is alone. _'I have found you, at last.'_ Adam congratulated himself before pulling away from Sofia and took Cyan's hand.

" _Oh how divine...Glamour, music, and magic combine. See the maidens so anxious to shine."_ Their singer immediately began the song once she seen the prince dance with his fourth partner.

"For once, you are early." Adam whispered.

"And you were late." Cyan retorted.

"A prince is never late. Everyone else is early." He huffed.

"That only works for kings and from what I was told, you are not a king!"

"It seems you haven't left your sharp tongue this evening." Adam's left eye twitched in annoyance.

" _Look for a sign that enhances chances she'll be his special one!"_ Once again the singer has outdown herself as her voice raised on the high notes.

"You must have been bored waiting for me." Adam quirked as he spun Cyan around.

"Someone has asked me to marry him." Cyan stated as she was sharply pulled into him.

"Oh? And who would want you, my black sheep." Adam's voice hissed darkly.

"He is the town's number one huntsmen and a war hero. But he is also a big brute."

"I assume you turned down his offer."

"Hilariously I did. I poured water on his head, but I have no doubt he will try again." Cyan giggled.

It vexed him to think of someone else wanting this girl. Yes, she was an odd girl; she dresses in rags and she probably doesn't have any other decent dresses besides the one she was wearing right now. The thought of not seeing her again started to make him even angrier. The prince had more money than this brutish huntsman and was possibly more charming than this man. Adam didn't expect this creature to have suitors. Maybe Prince Ali was right; she was a rosa blanca. But if there was a huntsman after her hand, who else wanted her?

"You should stay in my castle." Adam ordered.

"I have told you before. I will not be a chambermaid to your ego."

"Who says I want you as my chambermaid."

"I doubt you want my hand. I am only a black sheep." Cyan retorted his own words at him.

"If only you kept your end of our bargain." Adam whispered in a low voice while tapping her mask.

Cyan's blood ran cold once she remembered exactly what tonight meant. She was allowing him to remove her mask despite Agathe's warning to not take it off. However, Agathe never told Cyan that people in her dreams could remove it. She only said do not remove your mask; hence, it was only Cyan that could not take it off. Cyan tried to copy the other girls as they circled around the prince, despite he had a tight grip on her arm so she could not escape him. He finally had her in his sights. The poor girl was pulled right back into his embrace before he gently caresses her cheeks then moved his fingers underneath her mask. During this entire thing, Cyan's heart would not stop pounding against her chest.

" _What a display! What a breathtaking, thrilling array! Every prince, every dog has his day, and I'll sing with passion, gusto, fit to bust! Oh, not a care in the world!"_

* * *

So now we get a look on how Prince Adam got ready for the ball. It seems he was thinking about our little black sheep before the dance~.

This was a fun chapter to write, but it was a risky one because I want to make sure I captured his essence while not making him OOC or out of character for those who don't know the term. So I hope I did him justice!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan, Nicholas, Sofia, and Sierra.

Please no flames or mean comments.

If you see a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it.


	25. Third night: The beggar woman

The back doors blew open just moments before Adam could take off Cyan's mask. The wind's were surprisingly strong because it blew out all the many chandeliers candles and the candles on the walls around the ballroom. Guests started to scream in fright and quickly backed up from the ballroom floor until Prince Adam and Cyan were the only ones left. The ladies were too afraid to be in front of the floor in fear whomever opened the door would harm them. They joined where the musicians were by the walls. Only a brave few servants remained close to the prince and his partner as one of them handed Adam a candelabra.

"Who goes there?" Cyan called out toward whoever opened the doors.

"You aren't afraid of who it may be?" Adam asked.

"If I was afraid of everything, I would never have any fun."

Cyan was defiantly an odd girl because she was too curious about who was there. Most of the women in the room didn't want to see who it was so they were keeping their distance from the back doors. Whomever it was must have been very powerful or strong to be able to open the doors. Or was it just the wind that blew them. What was odd was it had began to rain all of a sudden and thunder roared from behind the doors. Before the ball had begun, it was a nice summer evening without a dark cloud in the sky. There was no chance of rain before the doors had even opened! Adam turned the candelabra in his hand toward the intruder only to see an older woman in a long black cloak. Everyone in the room was expecting someone fierce and tall, but to their shock, it was a just a old woman.

"Please...help me..." She pleaded.

"You poor madam..." Cyan made her way toward her and she knelt down in front of her.

The old beggar had seen better days; her skin was really wrinkled from her old age and it looked really dry despite having been in the sudden storm. Her hair was long, white, matted, and withering away on her head. Her eyes were shrunk behind those puffy eyelids and her breath was ragged from what Cyan guessed was a long journey. Or was something this unfortunate soul was afraid of, that made her breath hoarse like this? Whatever the case may have been, Cyan did notice that under her cloak the old woman wore a frilly, black dress. Her dress looked like something that should have been worn in a funeral. Was she at one when she got caught in the rain? Or was this her normal attire? Many older women like to wear their funeral gown after they lost their husbands and sometimes, young ladies will wear black when they lost their lovers. Sometimes their lover's death was from sickness, war, or even lost at sea. The weirdest Cyan had heard was a lover to a heiress died after tripping over a cat and fell down a hole.

"You must be very tired..." Cyan spoke softly to her.

"You a very kind girl..." The old woman spoke out and got a hold of Cyan's hands. Her hands were like ice compared to Cyan's and Cyan was trying to fight the urge to pull back from her cold touch.

"Who is this cretin?!" Adam yelled from behind Cyan.

"She's just a poor, beggar woman. May I have a cup of water here, please?! This woman is clearly parched!"

The servants were all wary of taking her request. Their prince was glaring in an attempt to keep them from taking her request. The maids were even afraid of taking to Cyan's request in fear Adam would scold them harshly for their actions. However, Nicholas didn't want to ignore a request. He knew he was going to get in trouble for this, but he couldn't let a old woman be thirsty. The brave soul scurried past the lovely damsels and toward Cyan to give her a goblet of water. Nicholas was allowed to hand out water if the guests were too weak for wine. He was also a little clumsy so if he had tripped during the ball, no one would get really angry at him for spilling water.

"Do you know her!?" Adam screeched rather profusely.

"No, but an act of kindness isn't without its merits!" Cyan scolded back at the prince before she nodded a thanks to Nicholas.

The woman quickly drank down the water and Nicholas took away her cup once she was done. Even though he was brave enough to give her a drink, he did not have enough to stay when he saw his highness march toward them so Nicholas quickly back tracked back toward the rest of the servants and almost tripped on a step. Adam waved the candelabra toward the beggar's face and took a step back once he saw her wrinkled face. His face scrunched up at her ugliness then he pulled Cyan by her right arm away from the woman. His actions proved he was afraid of Cyan turning ugly just by being near this poor creature and he would have to throw her out as well if that actually did happen. It would have not happened that quickly, but the prince's judgment was not his own. The castle maybe filled with beautiful things and he made sure his balls had beauteous women whom he could toy with their feelings and see who was better than the rest. Although many of his possessions were lifeless, the only living thing in the castle that matched the lifelessness was the prince's heart.

"Stay away from her!"

"You are being silly!" Cyan slapped his hand off her arm.

"Well, do you know this ugly thing?" Prince repeated in a whisper.

"No-Ugly?! You will have more wrinkles than her, when you are an old man!" Cyan retorted

"C-Can you allow me...to seek shelter from the storm..?" The poor beggar asked the prince.

"You cannot. There is no room for you." Adam said in a feign manner.

"Pl-Please your highness..." She cried in pity. "I haven't any money...a-all I have i-is this rose.."

In the woman's hand was a single, red rose. It was a rose in full bloom; something that Cyan rarely saw in her life. The only times she had seen roses in full bloom like that was her father's garden when she was a child. However, it was only a mix of joy and sorrow seeing this little treasure. It was because of Cyan's selfish request that she was stuck in the Beast's castle and away from her circus family. Although, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread when Adam took the rose to get a better look of the it. The flower had all its twenty of its petals, though some roses have seven or ten petals depending on how much water, food, and sunlight they were receiving. It's thorns were evenly spread around the stem and the leaves were lush green. It really was a natural treasure! However, the prince didn't see its value. He only laughed and looked around the room at his lovely guests. The first guest to join in his laughter was Sofia Del Wolfe and soon the other ladies joined in. Cyan didn't see what was so funny until she realized they were laughing at the old woman's attempt in paying for a night's stay!

"A rose..feh!" He laughed.

"Do not be perceived by appearances. For beauty is found within." The old woman warned him. She didn't stutter that time. The prince had everything; he offered her nothing. He only looked at the rose one more time before he tossed it on the floor.

"Come along, black sheep." Adam ordered Cyan and grabbed her arm.

It became unnaturally bright behind the two and they quickly spun around to see an amazing sight. The beggar's haggard looks melted away and revealed a beautiful, young woman. Her black dress and cloak slowly changed into a whitish yellow color although they couldn't see the details in her dress anymore because of the bright light. Her white, matted hair turned into flowing, blonde hair and she looked so young compared to what she looked like moments ago and strangely, she looked familiar to Cyan. The woman started to float off the floor and into the air overlooking the room and it seemed to flabbergasted the prince because he fell to his knees. It scared the guests tremendously to the point where they were screaming seeing this floating, glowing woman. Sofia was the first to run toward the door while she shoved Nicholas out of the way during her run. The poor servant was getting trampled on by the heels of terrified ladies as they tried to escape from the room.

"Wait, don't leave me!" The prince cried once he realized his guests were leaving.

However, his pleas fell on deaf ears as they either didn't hear him or they didn't want to stay. They were so afraid of what would happen to them compared to what would possibly happen to their host. Unfortunately, the woman wasn't so kind to them. She raised her right hand toward the open door and all Adam, Cyan, and the servants heard from outside was the bone chilling, bloody screams of the ladies mixed with the howling from wolves. The woman must have sent wolves after them for laughing at her. No one dared to venture out to see what exactly the horror was because they were afraid of what if there really were wolves outside. But what would she do to the rest of them?!

"I am sorry! Please forgive my rudeness!" Adam begged to the woman.

"This will not change my mind of you, your highness."

"Please let me explain! I am truly sorry!"

She only pointed the rose at him and glared at him and then the servants. Everyone was basically shaking in fear of this woman, or in another word this enchantress. Cyan didn't know if this dream was turning into a nightmare, but she knew she didn't want this to happen if she had control on her dreams. Cyan got in in front of Adam and the enchantress and held her arms to shield herself to whatever the enchantress was about to do. It surprised Adam and it also surprised herself because she didn't think this through. Her legs were slightly shaking from fear, but she stood tall in front of the woman.

"Stand aside." The enchantress told her.

"Have mercy on these people!" Cyan cried out.

"They have not shown mercy to me. Only you have."

"Everyone makes mistakes! Let them live!"

"Their fate is sealed from the moment this prince showed his cold heart. They will not die, but there is no love in his heart."

 _'Of course, she wasn't wrong.'_ Cyan thought to herself. She could think of a vast number of examples of Prince Adam being mean or spiteful toward her and his servants. It was a mystery to her for why he had a cold heart and she could think of excuses on why, but she would probably get it wrong. However, there were times he did show a little compassion. He was kind to that little boy from her last visit here and he offered her a place in the castle after she told him of Gaston's attempted proposal. There was a small spark of kindness inside him. A very, very small spark, but maybe it can grow with practice.

"He can learn!" Cyan berated which made the enchantress' smile soften.

"...This will not be your fate, Cadence."

"How did you-"

Cyan couldn't comprehend what happened to her when the enchantress waved her hand at Cyan's direction. All she could feel was a pain in her chest and she was falling backward. Her vision was becoming blurry which meant she was going to wake up again soon. Adam caught her before she hit the ground as their surroundings began to turn to gray. She tried to reach for his face but her body felt heavy and the best she could do was let her hand fall into his own. His face shown worry and uncertainty before Cyan watched as the prince himself turned gray and vanished from her view. When Cyan woke up, she had cold sweat rolling down her brow as she looked around frantically to see where she was. She was still in her new room in the east wing. Tragically, she wasn't in her attic room like the last time she ate those candies. But her mind pondered on two things: how did the enchantress know her real name? There was only a few people she knew that called her by that. Unfortunately, they were either dead or far away from her right now. Another who knew, was her mother and she was very, very far away. Though, Cyan was completely happy with that. Second, she wondered why was the room so cold all of a sudden. It was very chilly which was odd because it was warm before she fell asleep in this room. None of the windows were open so that wasn't the problem. When Cyan looked down at herself...she was naked. Her dress and her mask was no longer on her person.

"What happened to my clothes!?" Cyan yelled trying to look around the bed for her dress.

"What is all the noise-" Garderobe snorted awake before turning her attention to the naked girl.

"AHHH!" Both Cyan and Garderobe screamed.

"OH! Mademoiselle, aren't you so bold to have dinner with the master like this." The overgrown dresser chastised.

"I AM NOT HAVING DINNER WITH HIM!"

* * *

So now we see the enchantress enters the ball scene. Luckily for Cyan, she wasn't cursed. But she doesn't know what's going on.

This time I have posted three chapters because I think it'll be a while until I update more chapters because I need to work on chapter twenty-six and then chapter twenty-seven and if I'm lucky I can work on the rest so bear with me! I couldn't work on this chapter a lot last week because of Hurricane Michael and we had to use my laptop to watch DVDs for a night. We didn't get power for three days, but it is nothing compared to what parts of Georgia and Florida went through. Please help them and stay safe!

As a heads up, for some reason the horizontal line I use to separate the story from my comments does not work if you use a computer but on the phone, it appears. My comments are always center aligned so people can spot the difference.

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids.

Beauty and the Beast is owned by Disney.

I only own Cyan, Nicholas, and Sofia.

No mean comments for flames please.

If you see spelling or grammar errors, please PM me and I will fix it.


	26. Dinner 'invite'

Although Cyan was dealing with trying to put on her favorite outfit before anyone came in; the rest of the castle bustled around outside her room. The enchanted staff of the castle had heard of the guests as they haven't had a soul step foot in the castle for several years. Unfortunately, they were disappointed to learn how their master treated the first two guests they had. Then hope grew when Lumiere told everyone that a girl was in the castle. For the first time in years, the kitchen was bustling with activity as the enchanted staff quickly prepped the feast for their master and their guest. Lumiere had everything planned for the dinner and the chief completely ignored it so he could make a exquisite meal to impress the guest.

Lumiere was planning a light onion soup with a salad to start off the meal. The chef was now cooking with a hearty potato soup that had different pieces of vegetables such as broccoli, celery, a bit of squash, and some spinach. Oh, how he missed being able to sample his food before he could serve it to his guests. Since he was nothing but a fancy brass oven, he had to rely on his memory on how to make the perfect or adequate taste to a meal if his master ate. Everyone except the Beast wasn't able to taste food or a drink so the chef had to be precise about his measurements or risk making the master mad at the horrible taste in his mouth.

Nevertheless, everyone was excited to see this girl. The only ones who saw the girl were Plumette, Cogsworth, and Lumiere. The cocky candelabra didn't want to give out any hints on what she looked like as he wanted to show off what she looked like when it was time for dinner. The more matured feather-duster didn't want to tell anyone because her beloved told her to not tell a soul. Meanwhile the stout clock was shaking his gears away in fear. He didn't agree to this and here he was being dragged into a plan that could make their master have a nasty temper. But there was someone in the kitchen who was more enthusiastic about the new guest. His name was Chip, a little white teacup with a little chip on his left side. He was skating around the kitchen counters on his white plate with his mother, Mrs. Potts, watching over him while her trolley wheeled around trying to keep up with him. She was both worried he would fall and break himself while also excited to see who their guest looked like.

"Mama! There's a girl in the castle!" Chip called down to his mother.

"Yes, Chip, we know!" Mrs. Potts chuckled.

"What kind of tea does she like? Herbal, oolang, chamomile..I'm too excited!" The little cup was balancing on the rim of the plate as it skated across from the counters, between Cogsworth and Lumiere on the table, then finally going up in the air heading straight for the chef!

"Slow down before you break your handle." His mother warned him when her trolley landed right in front of him so he could land safely by her.

"Heads up Mrs. Potts." The chief called while he took her lid off and poured in hot water.

"What does she look like, Mama?"

"I'm not sure, dear. We'll find out very soon."

"If she even comes down for dinner.." Cogsworth muttered.

"Nonsense, you rusted clock." Lumiere patted his head. "She will come down."

Meanwhile, the Beast opened the dining room doors quite loudly. All the laughter and commotion died in the kitchen nearby. His footsteps echoed through the dining room as he made his way to his seat on the other side of the room. The dining room was a warm place; a nice fire was there to help keep its occupants toasty while they dined. The table was polished, twelve candelabras were lit to help light up the room, and the food was kept warm in pots and lids so it was still delicious to eat. Beast sat down in his seat on the side where it was the darkest so no one could see his face but he was still able to see the food in front of him. Two medium sized porcelain pots to keep the soup and appetizers warm, a small tiny pot for either the sugar for the tea or salt, a glass for his drink, his silver plate ready to receive his dinner, and a small box like pot that held the main course: a tenderloin in a hearty broth. Although he was hungry, he was grumpy over the last few days from the 'intruders' he's met. He pulled his head up to look and see what he should start off first. Then something caught his attention: on the other side of the table was an identical set of pots and plate for someone else to eat. No one else could eat food except...

"LUMIERRREEE!" The Beast roared and shoved his plate and glass off the table.

Lumiere and Cogsworth jumped at the loud sound of their master's voice and the sound of the plate and glass shattering on the hard floor. They were grateful the plates were normal plates and not the other staff members or else it would have been a sad night and a heavy load on the men's conscience. They could hear their master getting up because his chair fell to the ground and the heavy thumping of his footsteps coming toward the kitchen.

"Oh!" Cogsworth shook.

"B-Be calm. Let me do the talking." Lumiere stuttered while he tried to calm down his friend.

Kitchen door swung open when Beast came stomping in. Lumiere and Cogsworth were tiny compared to their master and if he wanted to, they could be thrown across the room. The two servants were on a small circular table with white, simple plates and glasses like the staff would have feasted on if they were still human. It was a bit of a cruel irony to have the placement as it is.

"You're making her dinner!" Beast yelled at them.

"Well, we thought you might appreciate the company." Lumiere tried to explain.

"Master, I just want to assure you that I had no part in this hopeless plan. Preparing a dinner, designing a gown for her, giving her a suite in the east wing!" Cogsworth blathered the whole plan to Beast. Of course, he went too far by telling him that Cyan was in a room and not in her cell.

"You gave her a bedroom?!" Beast gave them a glare.

"No, no no. HE gave her a bedroom." Cogsworth pointed at Lumiere.

"Th-This is true. But if this girl is the one who can break the spell, then maybe you could start by using dinner to charm her." Lumiere stated before he tapped his clock friend on the head. "Good thinking, Cogsworth!"

"What?!" The poor clock can't handle this much stress.

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Charm the prisoner!" Beast raised his right arm and let it fall to his side. Throughout this this argument, he was circling around the table and was spooked by sudden flames coming from the chief oven.

"But you must try, Master. With every passing day we become less human."

"She's the daughter of a common thief and a granddaughter of a hermit. What kind of person do you think that makes her?" Beast asked. He didn't like Valjean or Grandpa Apple for 'invading' his home, eating his food, and trying to take a rose from his garden.

"Oh, you can't judge people by who their father is, now can you?" Mrs. Potts told him.

Their master scrunched up his face as he remembered his own father. The only difference he saw in Valjean and Grandpa Apple was they were willing to stay behind when Cyan offered to take their place. His father wasn't so nice to him. In the end, he resigned himself to walking toward the east wing. Of course he was angry at his servants for even giving her a room. The east wing was only for guests and he made sure they were filled with the finest furniture. Now his prisoner was being housed in one of his luxurious rooms and he was wondering if she had fleas. Maybe not since she looked cleaner than his last two prisoners. The old man did smell horribly, so much so that Beast was actually glad to have thrown him out of the castle. Although it was very cold in the dungeon when Beast saved her from falling, even if she did try to escape. The dungeon can be very cold since the castle was stuck in an everlasting winter; however, it wasn't enough to change his mind on this. His dinner was ruined just because he has to 'charm' her. Beast wasn't alone; Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Plumette were behind him as he knocked very loudly on Cyan's door.

"You'll join me for dinner. That's not a request." Beast ordered harshly.

"Gently, Master." Mrs. Potts said. "The girl lost her father, her grandfather, and her freedom all in one day."

Yes, the poor thing is probably in there, scared to death." Lumiere agreed.

"Exactly!"

They did not know Cyan very well. Yes, she was scared. But it was for if she had enough fabric for a long rope. After finding and putting on her favorite outfit, Cyan was finally fashioning the gaudy dress into makeshift rope. Whoever made the ribbons made sure they were strong enough to stretched out of proportion for any girl's waist. Thank goodness because they would act as rope to keep the rest of the fabric from falling apart. The blue and pink under-ground was hidden in the massive pink fabric that was once the cover for the entire dress; it was big enough for Cyan to hold it around while she makes her escape out the window if the 'rope' was long enough for Cyan and the peacock chick to make their daring escape. She would have been done sooner if she wasn't so careful when Garderobe stopped snoring because she feared the massive piece of furniture would call for help to stop her. Luckily, she would return to her snoring and Cyan could finish her weaving. The brave girl tossed part of the 'rope' out the window and to her amazement, it was long enough for her to climb down to the garden. She was going to start packing when Beast knocked gently on the door. It wasn't gently as a human would on a door; nevertheless, it was a lot better than when he was banging on the door a moment ago.

"Doth my ears deceive me? There is a sound at the door. Hold thy tongue until my presence is decent and my breathe isn't rapidly depleting from thy horrid knocking!" Cyan called out toward the door before pulling the 'rope' back into the room and tucked it under the bed fast.

"Why is she talking like that?" Beast asked and looked back at his servants.

"She sounds funny." Chip chimed.

"But you see? There is she. Now, remember, be gentle." Lumiere instructed.

"Kind!" Mrs. Potts added.

"Charming!" Plumette swooned.

"Sweet!" Cogsworth added.

"And when she opens the door," Lumiere gave one of his flirtatious smiles. "give her a dashing, debonair smile. Come, come. Show me the smile."

It was one of those things Lumiere regretted immediately. Beast struggled to smile. His mind had a odd sense of what a smile was since it has been years since he actually smiled for real. He could muster a smirk even though that wasn't exactly what Lumiere wants. A smirk and a smile had different meanings; a smirk could be flirty or cocky and a smile could be warm or show happiness. There was no way he would want to show he was cocky toward his prisoner or any happiness because so far Cyan had only been a headache ever since yesterday. His lips twitched as he forced himself a 'smile'. Unfortunately, the servants didn't count this as a smile because it looked like a horrid showing of his fangs and teeth like he was a rabid beast. "Oh, mon dieu!" and "Oh, no" were all they could say in response while Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Chip backed away from their master. Beast let his 'debonair smile' drop and spun back toward Cyan's door.

"Will you join me for dinner?" Beast asked in a feigned happy tone.

"...Hmmm. You don't sound like you mean it." Cyan replied.

"I mean what I asked. Will you join me for dinner?" He asked again only this time it was strained. He was losing his patience.

"Are you out of your mind?! First you imprison my father and grandfather just because of a single rose and then you imprison me and take my blanket from me after I clearly learned my lesson, and now you want to me join you for dinner!? I kindly, and most defiantly, refuse to eat with you!"

Of course, this was a blow to his already shortened temper. Beast began to huff and puff in anger and glaring at no one in particular, but the servants were starting to cower away from their master. It wasn't a pretty sight when he got angry.

"Uh-oh. He's losing it." Plumette shuttered and quickly flew behind Lumiere for cover.

"Oh, dear!" Cogsworth hid behind the small table in the hallway as Beast banged his fist multiple times on the door.

"I TOLD YOU TO JOIN ME FOR DINNER!" Beast bellowed in anger.

"AND I REFUSE YOUR 'INVITATION'!" Cyan shouted back.

"I COMMAND IT!"

"AND I SAID NO!"

"YOU COME OUT HERE OR I'LL BREAK DOWN THE DOOR!"

"GO AHEAD! IT'S NOT MY DOOR ANYWAY! YOU'LL SAVE ME THE TROUBLE OF GATHERING FIREWOOD FOR THE COLD NIGHT!"

"YOU WILL NOT USE MY DOOR AS FIREWOOD!"

"THEN DON'T BREAK DOWN THE STUPID DOOR!"

"Ooh! What time is it? What's happening?" Garderobe woke up from their loud voices.

"It's a half past eight and I have this lunatic banging on the door!" Cyan shouted at the giant furniture. Her voice was toned down more for Gardrobe before she returned to her loud tone. "I WILL NOT EAT WITH YOU AND THAT'S MY FINAL WORD!"

"WELL BE MY GUEST! GO AHEAD AND STARVE!" Beast roared at the door.

He turned around toward what few servants that were brave enough to not hide during this argument. Lumiere looked heartbroken to see how this turned out, but his feelings were not taken into consideration as Beast gave him a very harsh glare.

"If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all. IDIOTS!" Beast stormed out of the hall and vanished into the castle.

* * *

One chapter added! I have another six to go!

Both Cyan and Beast have short tempers. I bet we know who won this argument.

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan, the circus, and the peacock chick.

No mean comments or flames please!

If anyone sees a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it.


	27. Be Our Guest, Cyan

Cyan waited a good few minutes before she decided it was safe to take out her 'rope'. She overheard Cogsworth attempting to scold his master only he wasn't even there. The timid clock was a few minutes too late in scolding Beast and Cyan doubted he would even have the spine to raise his voice at him. Her nerves shot up when she overheard Lumiere welcome Beast back; and Cogsworth must have jumped because she heard small gears hit the floor, then laughter filled the hallway. It must have been a joke if the candelabra was laughing this heartily, much to Cyan's relief. It didn't help her nerves calm down faster because she had to wait for a while before she climb down out of the room. If she tries to climb out with high strung nerves, there was no chance of her getting down fast and it would take her all night before she even reached the ground. And that wasn't something she wanted to do; it would give suspicion to the servants and they would probably tell their master, then it would be the same thing from the dungeon only this time maybe he will take away the clothes she wasn't wearing.

Garderobe must have been a very tired woman because she fell back asleep after the noise died down. The doors around her face were closed and Cyan would hear a little of her snoring. Suddenly, the castle began to shake and Cyan gave out a harsh gasp of fright. ' _Is it an earthquake?!'_ Cyan shouted in her head as she tried to balance herself on the smooth floor. The peacock chick was starting to freak out from the trembling and slid its way toward its human mother for comfort. It seemed both of them needed reassurance because Cyan was quick to pick him up and hold him close to her until the trembling stopped. They both wondered how sound was this infernal castle. The redhead wondered if the chick was thinking the same thing or not, but the look in his eyes seemed to be enough proof.

"I'll get us out of here, little one. You leave it to me." Cyan reassured the chick by lightly stroking his head.

The little fluff gave a small chirp before she grabbed the makeshift 'rope' and tossed some out the window. They both watched as she slowly draped more down the wall to see if it would be enough to reach the ground or to let them land safety into the snow. Of course, Cyan would be doing all the climbing because the chick would be in her bag. She would have to be careful not to land on her bag in case it wasn't enough to reach the ground or risk hurting the poor bird. Soon, there was knocking at the door. The chick let out a small squawk of fright; Cyan couldn't tell if it was a servant or the Beast at the door. She assumed it was the latter because she didn't think they could knock on the door that heavily. Has he come to force her to dinner again?

"I told you to go away. I won't join you for dinner." Cyan called.

"Don't worry, dear. It's only Mrs. Potts." a sweet feminine voice called from the door.

"...Just a moment." Cyan quickly pulled the 'rope' off to the side, but there was still more coming from the room. The bed was too heavy to move and she didn't have time to pull the 'rope' back in. The only option she could think of was stand by the bed and hope no one sees it.

Her room door opened and she saw who knocked: a white porcelain teapot on a trolley with a identical teacup. When Cyan squinted her eyes to them, she noticed the teapot had a face on the right side, a golden upper handle, and like almost everything she had seen, gold laced around the delicate ceramic ware. The teacup had a face too, only its face was around the handle. Their trolley was blackish silver and had two levels; the two were on the second level and it looked like nothing was pushing it as it came into the room. It both amazed and scared Cyan silly. _'What sorcery is this?!'_ Cyan thought to herself. Of course, she had to be afraid because she didn't know what else will happen now shes seen a beast, talking furniture, and now self propelling trolleys. Next she was thinking she might see talking mice or a good luck cricket or something of the like.

"Oh! Oh, aren't you a vision." The teapot smiled at Cyan as the trolley came closer to her. "How lovely to make your acquaintance."

"I'm probably not a vision if I hadn't fixed my hair or took a bath in a couple of days." Cyan sassed.

"Oh, that wouldn't have changed my-" Mrs. Potts began to say until she saw what was behind the young girl's back. Her expression softened in sorrow and all Cyan could do was kick the 'rope' a little farther back.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot stay."

"'We'?"

Cyan held up the peacock chick for the teapot to see. The poor bird didn't seem afraid of Mrs. Potts and the teacup. It was more afraid of Lumiere, Cogsworth, Lumiere, Plumette, and more accurately, the Beast. Now there was nothing wrong with being afraid; but a young one like the chick shouldn't have to live in fear if there was a threat. Cyan may not have much luck with the adult peacocks, but she wasn't going to let a baby animal be afraid. Of course, it goes the same for anyone. No one should be this afraid constantly because of one problem. Cyan was worried about the poor chick not growing its feathers properly if it goes under a lot of stress. She had seen a stressed peacock once and the pitiful bird died eventually after the circus got it in their care. But this peacock was just a baby; the young lady didn't want that to happen to it. Then of course, Cyan would also lose hair from being stressed all the time. She's seen a lot of the older women in Villeneuve have small bald spots under their little hats and such. Cyan even seen one madame with a wig!

"It's a very long journey. Let me fix you up before you go." Mrs. Potts offered. Her voice sounded very sad.

"You wouldn't happen to have a map out of here then?"

"I'm afraid not, dearie.."

"Well, I guess there goes that bit. What have you got?" Cyan shrugged it off. It shouldn't surprise her that a teapot won't hold a map.

"I have found that most troubles seem less troubling after a bracing up of tea." Mrs. Potts explained and poured some tea into the teacup.

"If that is the case, you will need a lot of tea for me to blow my troubles away." Cyan snarked.

"Then that is fine with me," Mrs. Potts giggled to herself. "Slowly now, Chip."

Chip rode on his small plate down the trolley and at her feet. Cyan quickly became weary of the tea. _'What if the Beast poisoned the tea? Would he put sleeping powder in it so he can come in and drag me back into the dungeon. Or will he vile my innocence and leave me to die? Or worse. Will he eat me?!'_ She shouted in her head. Now she had been reading too many fairy tales and tall tales from ignorant rumors in her travels. Somehow Cyan doubted anyone in this castle could even get their hands on such a drug to make her weak, considering most of the staff she's seen don't even have hands. Plus, there would be residue around the cup if there is such a poison. Something she learned from one of the knife throwers, Steven McFallen, told Cyan of how his wife tried to kill him so she could take his money. But the poison only paralyzed him for a little bit and she resolved to gagging him then beating him senseless until she could escape with what she thought was of high value. Cyan gently picked up Chip by his plate and examined the little cup. There was nothing to see except the tea inside. No bits of anything of powder, or chip of a poison block. No residue around the rim or anything. Now the tea was looking very inviting to her. Cyan got Chip by his handle and careful sipped the hot drink.

The drink warmed her throat and it felt like her body was slowly thawing out from the inside. Oh, how much did she miss a proper brewed tea. Such a thing was a dream since she was sold to the circus where she and her father would have fancy tea parties with her dolls. Valjean could brew a nice cup of tea as well, but he would space out a little and forget to take the tea leaves out of the tea so the two would be hacking tea leaves for the rest of the afternoon. Chip giggled when her lips tickled him on the rim and she pulled the cup away to look at him. She did notice the little chip on the left side and wondered if that's how he got his name.

"Pleased to meet you." Chip chimed at her. "Wanna see me do a trick?"

"Sure." Cyan nodded.

Chip scrunched up his face, then he made the tea bubble until he formed a large bubble around the rims. It was a cute trick; it reminded Cyan of Cole back home. At least, this gave her a little comfort despite the Beast's very rude 'dinner invite' a while ago. Cyan giggled when the tea bubble popped.

"Chip!" Mrs. Potts lightly scolded at him. "That was a very brave thing you did for your father and grandfather, dearie."

"Yes." Garderobe said after her face doors opened. "We all think so."

"I'm worried about them. They don't always get along and I'm afraid for the rest of my family back home. I've never been away from any of them." Cyan explained as she set Chip back on the trolley by his mother.

"Cheer up, my poppet. Things will turn out in the end. You'll feel a lot better after dinner." The kind teapot told her.

"Dinner? I thought your master said 'if she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all.'" Cyan recalled that little argument quite well considering Beast wasn't quiet about it.

"Mmm, people say a lot of things in anger. He is no different." Mrs. Potts shook her head at her own words as the trolley made its way toward the door.

 _'Very true.'_ Cyan gave a slight nod. Satin Sally and Grandpa Apple always argue, but they never mean what they yell at to each other. The members could tell if they were serious or not and whether it was safe to approach or to stay hidden until it was quiet.

"It is our choice whether or not to listen. You coming, poppet?"

"Go!" Garderobe gestured her gently out room.

 _'My conscious says I shouldn't. But my belly says I need to eat. And very soon!'_ Cyan felt her stomach growl at the thought of food. Thanks to the peacock chick, she didn't have any food besides the last of the candy Agathe gave her. Cyan wasn't going to eat that unless it was absolutely necessary or if she having a very bad day. Still, her hunger clouded her judgment as she got her bag before following Mrs. Potts and Chip out of the east wing. Her imprisonment was starting to take a toll on her; her confidence was slowly draining the more she thought of how the Beast was treating her. She had courage to go against him, but behind close doors she was just a scared girl. Her will to survive is strong, but she needed the encouragement to keep her hopes alive. The thought of her circus family possibly leaving Villeneuve without her was tearing her heart apart. However, this was just a thought; there wasn't a chance Valjean and the others would leave her here. The three descended the stairs and made their way toward the dining room. Unknown to the girl, the staff was finishing up preparations for her as some of the enchanted staff were shaking with anticipation for this to be a success. It was only when they heard the dining room door open that they fell silent.

Cyan looked around the room and noticed it was barely lit with numerous candelabras and off to right side of the door were Lumiere, Cogsworth, and a old harpsichord. The wood around the keys needed to be refurbished, and the base of the instrument needed to be sanded and repainted to its former splendid glory. It's music sheet stand above the keys began to move and so did its keys like the keys were it's mouth. Again, another enchanted staff member in this cursed castle. Cyan's hope dashed to meet another human in this place, but at least she was about to listen to one of her favorite musical instruments with her dinner. Her mood seemed to brighten a little bit when she didn't see the Beast in the room.

"Good evening mademoiselle." The massive instrument said.

"You're a harpsichord! I haven't seen one of these in years. I leave my ears to your professional artistry in your heavenly euphony." Cyan bowed her head slightly to him.

"Ah ha! Finally, a person of good taste!" The instrument laughs triumphantly.

"You're surrounded by bad taste?"

"Just this one. He has tasteless demands upon my artistry!" He gestured a leg toward Cogsworth.

"I only asked you to play quietly!" The old clock huffed.

Lumiere wanted to hear none of this; after all, they have much to do. He tapped his candle hands together to make a couple dinging sounds. This was his signal for the coat rack to douse the lights on the room's candelabras. The peacock chick hopped from Cyan's bag and onto its human mother's shoulder to see what all the commotion was about. They could hear trumpets, cymbals, drums, and then the harpsichord playing beautifully in the background. The only lights in the room was the faint fire glow from the fireplace and the moonlight shining from the fifth window on the high wall. Plumette flew high above by the lit window and used a silver tray to beam the light toward her beloved Lumiere when he hopped onto the middle of the table.

"Ma chere, mademoiselle." Lumiere spoke out as he walked slowly across the long table." It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight."

"It is a pleasure to be in your company, my good sir!" Cyan called out to the charismatic candelabra.

"And now, we invite you to relax." Plumette was having trouble keeping the tray in place so the light could shine on him. Nevertheless he continued his walk even if he had to do it in the dark. "Let us pull up a chair, as the dinging room proudly presents..."

A large chair swept Cyan and the chick up on it and helped her get comfortable in front of the table. Plates, glass goblets, and utensils flew in the air and in a spiral, they landed in front of her before making a proper dinner arrangement as the instruments quiet down except for the harpsichord. It had its own little solo in this small symphony before dinner. The melody was music to her ears; until it hit a bad note and the poor instrument exclaimed in pain. Lumiere and Cyan looked toward the harpsichord who realized pretty quickly that he messed up and a key was pressed to finish up.

"..Your dinner." Lumiere finished.

" _Be. Our. Guest. Be our guest; put our service to the test! Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie. And we'll provide the rest."_ Lumiere sang quite well with the music that played while the coat-rack tried to tie a napkin around Cyan's neck. Of course, her slightly feminine mind remembered her manners and took the napkin on her lap. The peacock chick got its own tiny napkin around its neck by the coat-rack.

 _"Soup du jour, Hot hors d'oeuvres. Why, we only live to serve. Try the gray stuff, it's delicious. Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!"_

Cyan couldn't wait to dig in when Lumiere said what kinds of food to start off with. The coat-rack had numerous silver trays on its many hands and showed the young lady the tiny foods sitting on the metal. They looked good enough to eat; fruity treats for the peacock and meaty hors d'oeuvres for her to eat, and lovely soups for her to sample before a hearty dinner. Unfortunately, every time Cyan would reach to sample it, the coat-rack would recoil and run around her table to the other side of her. She would try again yet she got the same result: the coat-rack went to the other side. _'If you're trying to tell me to eat with my fork and knife, tell me now! It's cruel and inhumane to keep food away from a lady!'_ Cyan scolded in her mind. Lumiere was no help because he too had a small tray of food which he called 'gray stuff' and she was ready to grab that since it was literally in arms reach. He threw it away from her before she could get a taste.

Her anger was starting to boil until Lumiere twirled around and the dishes on the table followed suit. The dishes swirled off the table then they took to the air and swirled around the jolly laughing candelabra then around the table before landing back on their usual spot on the table. Cyan marveled at that splendid show because it reminded her of the acrobats in the circus when they swung gracefully in the air when they do their tricks. However, she still wanted the food as she struggled to even get the hors d'oeuvres.

 _"We can sing, we can dance! After all, Miss, this is France. And a dinner here is never second best!"_ Lumiere slammed a sharp cutter on what looked like either corn or a squash. _"Go on, unfold your menu. Take a glance and then you'll be our guest. Oui, our guest. Be our guest!"_

"I'll be your guest if I can get my hands on some of the food!" Cyan tried to shout over the music, but it fell on deaf ears.

Butterfly like menus flew out of the next room and Cogsworth must have been hit by one because Cyan heard him say "Oof!" and the sound of him hitting the floor. The menus flew around her chair and in the air before one crashed into her lap. The chick squawked at the fallen menu when Cyan opened it up to see what foods she could eat very soon or very later if Lumiere's music number doesn't end. They must have been loud because Cogsworth had climbed onto the table and tried to shush Lumiere quite feverishly until Lumiere shoved him aside and Lumiere made his way to the left side of the table.

" _Beef ragout, cheese souffle, pie and pudding, en flambe."_ Lumiere gestured toward several trolleys coming out of the kitchen with the foods. However, the flambe didn't look so good. It actually exploded and a fish head landed straight into Cogsworths face. " _We'll prepare and serve with flair a culinary cabaret! You're alone and you're scared, but the banquet's all prepared! No one's gloomy or complaining while the flatware's entertaining."_

Cyan looked around the table when the food was quickly shifted onto the table and the glass goblets became to bubble mist to give a suspenseful moment to the mood. Her own glass didn't bubble so it was safe to assume she could drink out of this. She was quite thirsty considering the last thing she ate was the bitter candy a couple hours ago. It was sweet to the taste so Cyan assumed it was a sort of juice and allowed the chick to sample some liquid from it. The forks, knives, and spoons suddenly stood up on end and sway from side to side.

 _"We tell jokes! I do tricks with my fellow candlesticks!"_

Lumiere sung as he ran backward and jumped onto what looked like a tightened fabric that sent him high up in the air and grab the overhanging chandelier.

 _"And it's all in perfect taste that you can bet!"_

The utensils sang in harmony.

 _"Come on and lift your glass. You've won your own free pass to be our guest. If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest. Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!"_

It was a sight to see when Lumiere started to swing up and down on one of the chandelier's arms and then the chandelier itself started to swing around as he hung on until his grip loosened and he fell face first into the table. Cyan and the chick both flinched at the thud even though he was made out of metal. They wondered if it did hurt to him and through the short confusion, the chick scurried in the dark to push small trays of food toward Cyan and then struggled to push the bigger foods. She quickly grabbed it from the bottom of the handle before pulling it with the chick. They had to be quick to eat in case the others noticed. The beef ragout was delicious in its reduced wine sauce while the cheese souffle was still fluffy and warm despite the cold temperature of the room. The pie and pudding en flambe had splattered around the table so she was only able to sample a small drop off the table. The gray stuff didn't taste very good to Cyan because it was a pate de foie gras. A liver made out of a fattened goose or duck. She spit that out fast and quickly tossed it across the room before the chick could even sample it. Cogsworth helped his friend up as he continued his song and ten feather dusters circled their feathers in front of him to cover him. They were colored pink from the light hitting the chandelier so the whole table was a different color.

However, the mood darkened in sadness when the lights went out minus the little lights coming from the plates from tiny candles on them. The only instrument playing was the violin that the coat-rack was somehow playing with its arms. It did make Cyan feel sad as the feather dusters flew away to show Lumiere and Cogsworth were alone on the table. The food was gone, the staff was probably hiding it to give a sad tone, but Cyan had already 'sampled' the food so she wasn't so worried about it.

 _"Life is so unnerving for a servant who's not serving. He's not whole without a soul to wait upon..."_

Lumiere sung in a sad tone. He became trapped in a napkin even though his candle arms and head didn't get in it so it didn't burn up. Once he was free, he got on his knees in front of Cyan who leaned back when he made a ding sound. _"Ah, those good ole days when we were useful-Eh, Cogsworth? Suddenly those good old days are gone.."_

He got off his knees and walked toward the very end of the table. The lights aimed for him and created a very large shadow on the other side of the room. His shadow only got bigger and bigger as he walked farther from the light and looked more human when Cyan didn't see the candle hands or candle on the top of his head. Lumiere jumped off the table and neither her or the chick could see him anymore. Three feather dusters began to throw rice or sugar flakes at Lumiere to indicate snow.

 _"Too long, we've been rusting! Needing so much more than dusting! Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills!"_

The candelabra began to pull on the tableclothe and all the cups and plates were taken with it. And poor Cogsworth too. He couldn't get his footing and went tumbling off the table and landed on his friend. The coat-rack quickly picked them both up and placed them on the table. _"Most days we just lay around castle...Flabby, fat and lazy! You walked in and oops-a-daisy!"_

" _It's a guest! It's a guest! Sake's alive, well I'll be blessed!"_ Cyan heard Mrs. Potts sang from the other room before she was wheeled in with a large array of desserts. " _Wine's been poured and thank the Lord, I've had the napkins freshly pressed."_

The napkins around the teapot began to move and fly up one by one around the sweets which got Cyan's mouth watering. There was small cake and big cakes, fancy chocolate cake with golden yellow truffle sprinkled on it and the humble vanilla lemon cake. It seemed like any cake Cyan could think of was right in front of her with small pots of sugar underneath. One of the arrays had messed up and a small cake slid across the table without them knowing and Cyan welcomed it with open arms. Literally, she dug right into the cake which was a vanilla and strawberry until there was nothing left.

" _With dessert, she'll want tea. And my dear, that's fine with me while the cups do their soft-shoein' I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing."_ The large plate under her rose up and Cyan felt her breath hitch in worry Mrs. Potts would be harmed if they weren't careful. Luckily, she was brought back down safely. _"I'll get warm, piping hot. Heaven sake's, is that a spot?! Clean it up! We want the company impressed! We've got a lot to do. Is it one lump or two. For you, our guest!"_

Chip had a small stain on the side of him so his mother had to steam it away before they could ride over to Cyan's side for her to have a nice cup of tea. It made Cyan smile wide at the gesture and the fact she was being called a guest. A proper guest instead of a prisoner or a outcast on the streets.

 _"She's our guest!"_ Lumiere chimed.

" _She's our guest!"_ Mrs. Potts repeated.

" _She's our guest!"_ Cogsworth stole Lumiere's line.

" _Be our guest! Our command is your request."_ The feather dusters had dressed up to look like an exotic white peacock with golden tassel crowns and silver clips on the end of each feather. _"It's been years since we've had anybody here, and we're obsessed with your meal, with your ease. Yes, indeed, we aim to please. While the candlelight's still glowing..let us help you we'll keep going!"_

When Lumiere joined in their part, all the feather dusters unfurled their lovely feathers and some had black tips on the end of their feathers. Then, they furled their feathers back and dove into a large bowl of pink wine and swam around before coming to the surfaces. They laid on their backs beside each other in two circles and sung in high notes as the water began to squirt out around the bowl. Lumiere danced with a silver ladle, used it as an umbrella, then spun it around and let it go flying across the room. Cyan had to make the chick duck because it almost hit the poor thing. The next little bit made Cyan squeal when she saw a small sultan's palace on the top of the table. The small white building had four pillars with a golden dome like piece on the top and the doors and sides were decorated light blue and gold to match. It opened up to show Cogsworth starting to sing with a sultans turban on his head before Lumiere popped out of the top and the plates behind them to creature an almost alluring rainbow shine from the moonlight.

 _"Course by course! One by one! 'Till you shout "Enough! I'm done!" Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest! Tonight, you'll prop your feet up, but for now, let's eat up! Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest! Please beeee oouuur guueeeeest!"_

The whole thing was extraordinary! The feather dusters were on small plates swaying from side to side with what looked like fireworks in the back of the room. How they managed to even set those off without blowing anything up was beyond Cyan's imagination. The napkins did their own dance off the side of the table and the larger plates began to move away as Lumiere danced down the table with Cogsworth behind him raising his stubby arms. Everyone was singing on high and low notes as best as they could before the table clothe rolled back and carried everyone including the leftover cakes, glasses of wine, and poor Cogsworth into the kitchen. The chairs flown back into place on the sides of the table and Lumiere slid down the table toward Cyan before the music came to a sudden silent stop.

"Pudding?" Lumiere offered a tiny floral white pudding to her.

"I can't handle another bite, but if you insist." Cyan spoke in an innocent tone. She quickly took the pudding with her fingers. Her hands and fingers were very dirty from her not using the utensils. Lumiere saw the food under her nails as she divided the pudding between herself and the chick. It also had crumbs in its little feathers as it gobbled it up fast.

"DID YOU EAT ALREADY!?" Lumiere flabbergasted.

"Did you expect me to sit by as you waved food in my face?! I was hungry!"

"You could have used a fork or spoon!"

"In my defense, you had them dancing away from me so I had to resort to this. I would like to eat my dinner while I watched a show." Cyan licked the food off her fingers. "But, you are lucky. Where I am from, if a person licks their fingers after a meal, the cook has done a fantastic job. I send my thanks to the chief."

"We are glad you enjoyed your dinner." Lumiere smiled. Even if it wasn't what he expected.

"But I regret to say about this whole thing."

"What is that?"

"The one thing I didn't like was the gray stuff. Someone may want to clean up by the door before someone gets hurt."

Of course, it was already too late. The coat rack was making its way to the door when it slipped over the said gray stuff on the floor with a loud and painful thud.

* * *

I'm not sure if I am the only one who thinks Belle should have ate what she could in both the animated and live action. I would ate more than the teeny bits she took off the food! And Cyan is the same way! I hope I did the song justice. A lot of writers have trouble putting songs into writing and trying to describe scenes in-between the lyrics.

Two down, five more to go!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the peacock chick.

No mean comments or flames please!

If anyone sees a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it.


	28. The west wing

"I don't understand why you're all being so nice to me. Especially since I made one of your staff member slip over fois gras." Cyan told Mrs. Potts as they got out of the dining room.

There was nothing else the staff could think of after dinner since Cyan and her chick went ahead and ate during the show. She wasn't allowed to leave the room until they cleaned out of her nails and scrubbed her hands until they were free of filth. All of this against Cyan's will, by the way. She wasn't the only one going through this 'torture'. The peacock chick had to be bathed and the poor tiny bird kept squawking and struggling until it was deemed clean and set free. The others were going to get themselves cleaned after that spectacular performance while Mrs. Potts took the two to their bed.

"Oh, Chapeau isn't one to hold a grudge, poppet." Mrs. Potts giggled.

"If you say so, miss. But that was still a nasty fall."

"Oh, he's slipped on worse. Next time try not to throw out food you don't like."

"It was the only thing I could think of fast. If I hadn't, this little bird would've eaten it." Cyan gestured to the chick who yawned on her shoulder.

"You do have a good reason."

"Why are you guys even nice to me anyway? You're as trapped here as I am." Cyan began to speak out what seemed to bother her. "Do you ever want to escape?"

It did tug on the girl's mind on why the staff could even stay here. They were serving, well, a literal beast. In both literal and mental sense of the word. He had a horrid temper, his breath stunk the last time Cyan was face to face with him. Although she hasn't seen how they interact around him, she did hear enough of how much they fear him. Her proof was when Cogsworth didn't want Lumiere to let out of her cell and when Beast tried to 'invite' her to dinner. Not one of them seemed like they wanted to follow him after Cyan heard him, after all. Not to mention the harsh tone when he called his servants idiots. _'If I had a master that called me that, I'd walk straight out the door and call him a uncultured brute.'_ The young girl thought to herself and looked back at Mrs. Potts. Her trolley wheeled almost in front of Cyan as they got closer to the giant staircase in the foyer. There was no way Mrs. Potts could move the trolley up the stairs without help and Chapeau was still tending to his ailing pole of a back. Or was she even going to follow Cyan upstairs?

"The master's not as terrible as he appears." Mrs. Potts said.

"Yes, he is gruesome and hard headed as an ox."

"Somewhere deep in his soul, there's a prince..."Mrs Potts began to explain, but then she tried to find another thing to say. "..of a fellow who just waiting to be set free."

"...Really." Cyan crossed her arms.

'A prince of a fellow' was a good compliment to give to a boy or man. It could have a lot of different meanings. The person can have a wonderful personality that would brighten your day. They could be funny at parties, sport a dashing smiling, or even could just be there to lend a shoulder to cry on. The few people Cyan would even use those words on would be LeFou and Valjean. LeFou may be Gaston's companion, but he was a funny man who had a smile on his face despite the embarrassing situations he is put into. The circus members loved it when he came down for breakfast or dinner if he had time. Although, Cyan wished he could stop being whiny when he gets into a painful end such as when he fell into the thorn bush by the laundry fountain. It was no contest on why Valjean would be a prince of a fellow. He was a jolly and eccentric man who rescued not only her but many of the members. They were people who were outcasts in society and poor souls that were ignored for being different. They wouldn't be alive or have a home if the ringleader had not stepped up for them. Now THAT is a prince of a fellow. Beast hasn't shown anything to Cyan that would fit that kind of title. _'Mrs. Potts isn't going to change my mind. I don't want to hear another word about her heartless monster of a master.'_ Cyan attempted to tone out the teapot as she tried to explain what kind of person the Beast was. It sounded like she was trying to test Cyan's own patience so the young girl turned her head away from the teapot to look around the foyer.

"The master used to have someone he cared about." Mrs. Potts added.

"...You have my attention." Cyan blinked and turned her head back.

"But that's a story for another day."

 _'You are a horrible tease, Mrs. Potts.'_ Cyan frowned. It did surprise Cyan that her captor actually cared about someone. She was even more shocked that maybe someone liked him back! Of course, people have different tastes than Cyan so that would bewilder her. If Mrs. Potts would have told her who exactly this person was, maybe Cyan could have tried to find this person so Beast could let her be free in exchange. But, would it be right to force someone else to take her sentence? After all, it broke Valjean and Grandpa Apple's hearts when they saw her take their place for taking a stupid rose. This would have a heavy load on Cyan's conscience if the person didn't even want to stay. Whatever the case, this did peak her interest and would have to ask about this later.

"Lumiere mentioned something about the west wing." Cyan turned the subject and also her attention to the other set of stairs that went to the west side of the castle.

"Never you mind about that." Mrs. Potts chastised.

"But I want to know!" Cyan whined.

"Off to bed with you, poppet."

"Good night Mrs. Potts. Give my love to Chip." Cyan began to walk up the stairs.

"Nighty-night."

Cyan made her way up the first flight of stairs and then she turned her head toward the west wing. Her curiosity has always gotten her into trouble, but she really wanted to know why the servants didn't want her to go into the west wing. It was something she wanted to find out. Maybe it was something worth understanding on why everyone was like this or worth to even make up a story about if Cyan gets out of here. She wasn't exactly hiding her curiosity very well because Mrs. Potts told her "Straight to bed" from the bottom of the stairs.

"Uuuuggh, you should like someone I know back home. She always told us to go to bed." Cyan groaned and leaned her head back.

Mrs. Potts chuckled and watched as Cyan went out of her view. The trolley's wheels squeaked against the smooth floor and Mrs. Potts did her rounds in the next rooms. The peacock chick watched her around the foyer until she was out of sight. It ran across to the floor to look between the rails to make sure the teapot was gone. There was no sound of the wheels squeaking or the clattering of Mrs. Potts' lid. This was a good sign that she wasn't in the room. However, there was a chance the other servants could be roaming around. It slid across the top of the stairs to the right to listen for any commotion in the kitchen. Said kitchen was surprisingly quiet considering the big show the staff put on during dinner.

"Is there anyone out there?" Cyan whispered out to it. The chick shook its head. "Good, let's see whats on the other side."

She picked up the little bird before quickly making her way to the other side of the stairs. Of course, she had to be quick but quiet just in case someone was still out there. The last thing Cyan wanted was a lecture on not going into places she wasn't supposed to go. _'It is their fault to begin with to even mention the west wing and then tell me there is none. It brews trouble and curiosity.'_ She nodded in her head. What harm could come from the west wing? Her curiosity only dwindled when the two reached a second set of small stairs. Compared to east wing, the west wing was a depressing place to be. It almost made the dungeon a cheery place to be. The hall was barely lit with very few candelabras on the walls and most of their candles weren't even lit. The wax was melting off some of the stands and Cyan had to back away from the walls because of drops of hot wax falling off. The peacock chick was cowering in fear and shaking tremendously the more the two stayed in the hallway. However, its human mother pressed on up the second set of stairs and deeper into the west wing.

The candle light only dimmed more as Cyan came close to a large door. The door looked like dark gold from how badly lit the candles were giving and it looked fancier than her own room door. Whoever was behind the room must have been compensating for something if there was a massive golden door. Cyan pushed the doors open and it let a loud creaking noise. The hinges must have been old, but the door was slightly dusty so the doors must have always been closed. Cyan walked into the room and froze when she realized how huge the room actually was and how dirty it was. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust and broken pieces of metal and ripped fabrics. The left side of the room was cluttered with dusty furniture, old books, a medium dresser, and candle poles with candles lit. It looked like nothing was touched or moved from the state of the dust on them. The peacock chick sneezed from the dust balls that flew in the air when wind blew through the room. Whoever stayed in this room needed to give this place a good cleaning, or else they will be sneezing more times in this room than Grandpa Apple in the springtime.

The right side of the room was different from the left. There wasn't a lot of furniture besides a few chairs, a small vanity station, and a thirty-six candled chandelier close to the floor. Cyan was surprised there was even a chandelier like this and took a closer look to see the metal that helped the chandelier stay on the ceiling was broken. It looked like something either bent it or threw something at it and made it fall to the floor like this. Aside from a six or eight sets of candelabras lit in the room, the room's fireplace had a fire going in it. Cyan looked by the door and saw a massive portrait on the wall. It was over a silver stand with several odd trinkets on it. The portrait was partially covered by a old tattered curtain until Cyan walked over and moved it. The portrait was of a couple dressed in what Cyan guessed was their Sunday best. Or even in royal uniforms. The man had black pompous hair and wore a fur like uniform with a stern gaze in his eyes. The woman wore a goldish gown that folded when she had her arms together and her brown hair was put back in a bob. In the middle was a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wore what looked like a combination of what the couple wore: a fur like suit with gold fabric draped over his shoulders. But, what frightened Cyan was both the man and the boys face was clawed and ripped on the portrait. Someone must have hated the man that much to disfigure his part of the portrait because Cyan could see the canvas threads leaking behind. Only the woman's side was untouched.

 _'Maybe these were the former owners of the castle..?'_ Cyan pondered as she walked away from the torn art and walked further into the room. Something didn't seem right. It was starting to scare Cyan as she looked around and off to the left side looked like murder. On the floor was a shattered mirror, broken antlers, feathers, and broken pieces of wood. All of this must have been part of a mirror and chair because the antlers didn't look like they came off a deer recently. And the feathers were dusty and pathetic so they didn't just come from a bird. It was like someone didn't like what they saw in the mirror and tore the mirror off the wall, threw it on the ground, then smashed it with a chair and that made it break. Cyan thought the chair probably deserved it because the antler decor reminded her of Gaston's 'decorating'.

The peacock chick began to chirp frantically behind Cyan and she quickly spun around thinking it was an intruder or one of the servants. But it was nothing but a dummy. Seamstress' and tailors use dummies to design and make their clothes before the person could put it on and sometimes, they wore the clothes that the person didn't want folded. The dummy was by a sun room built at the end of the room. However, there was something familiar on it. A dress was on the dummy; a white dress with the back opened, a teal cross on the chest area, frills on the neck, waist, and the open sleeves. The dress opened in the middle and had the same cross pattern on the chest. Teal rose like pins on the sides so the middle of the dress could semi show the person's legs while the sides flowed around it. The dummy wore white stockings and teal shoes and on the face was a white eye mask.

 _'This is...This is my dress! A-And my mask!"_ Cyan shook her head. It was the same dress she wore to Prince Adam's ball in her dreams! She wore it to bed and when she woke up, she was naked under the covers. There was no way Beast could have removed the dress while she slept. The collar had a clip and it was hard to get it on and off if she didn't level the clip properly. If she tried to force the clip off, it could rip the delicate fabric and ruin the dress. Beast wasn't the picture of patience and carefulness so he couldn't have removed the dress. Unfortunately, this didn't calm her down as she was trying to figure out why her outfit was even in this room. Cyan hurriedly backed into the sun room to get away from the dummy. She wasn't watching where she was going and she bumped into a small podium. Something on the podium scratched on the surface, causing Cyan to quickly grab it; thinking it was about to fall. It was only a glass covering a beautiful red rose.

"Another rose..." Cyan said in disgust. But really, it was more in sadness than disgust. "He got onto them for no reason."

Cyan still loved roses, but she was a little sore considering she was stuck in the castle because of her adopted family's imprisonment. However, there was something different about this flower. It wasn't dead. The sun room was covered in frost and it was chilly being in in it and the glass around it looked icy and yet the flower wasn't affected by the cold. Flowers would wilt and die under cold temperatures because winter does not give them enough sunlight for them to grow, and nutrients are hard to get during that season. However, Cyan did see there were shriveled up petals at the bottom of the rose. She lifted the glass off the rose, setting it off to the side to feel its remaining petals. They were surprisingly soft to the touch and she moved to the stem, which didn't have a lot of thorns like normal roses would. It didn't stop her from pricking her finger on one of the few thorns.

"Ow!" Cyan yelled and recoiled her hand back.

Her finger bled from the cut and droplets of blood fell on the edge of the podium. The rose glowed faintly and the petals started to swirl around the flower. Somehow it stuck back onto the flower and the rose looked like it was in full bloom and regained a bright red glow. This was defiantly not a normal flower. The chick was confused on what had happened, but it looked more concern for Cyan when her finger kept bleeding. Luckily, she had bandage wrapping in her bag as she rummaged her bag trying to look for it. She didn't get a chance to get it out when Beast jumped out of nowhere and scared her from his loud thump. He wasn't anywhere in the room when Cyan came in so how was he here now? He looked at the rose concerned when he saw the glass was off.

"What are you doing here?!" Beast yelled in horror. "What did you do to it?!

"Nothing! I did nothing!"

"Do you realized what you could have done!? You could have damned us all!"

"I didn't-" Cyan backed up and tripped over a step and knocked down the dummy that had her dress.

"GET OFF OF THAT! GET OUT OF HERE! GOOOO!"

She wasn't going to ignore that command. His roars echoed throughout the room and made him even more terrifying. Cyan struggled to get off the floor at first because she kept losing her footing, but she finally got her momentum and high tailed out of the room. The peacock chick found a good hiding place in her bag. Cyan's heart began to race in fear that the Beast was following her and she didn't think her room door was going to stop him from his rage. She wanted to go home. She wanted to be safe again. When she reached the foyer, Lumiere and Cogsworth were having a game of chess and Lumiere was the first one to notice their guest coming from the west wing. Something was wrong because she was trying to run down the stairs in a haste.

"Mademoiselle, what are you doing?" Lumiere called from the highest level of the foyer.

"Getting out of here! I can't stay here!" Cyan screeched.

"Stop!" Cogsworth yelled as he climbed onto the chest board and blew on what sounded like a whistle.

"Go! Go! Froufrou!" Lumiere ushered the footstool dog to stop the girl.

"Yes, Froufrou! Stop her!"

The doors and windows closed as soon as Cogsworth blew the whistle. The windows shutters' closed down tightly. The massive door's locks tightened to make sure she didn't pry them out. Cyan hadn't made it down the final level of stairs when Lumiere kept shouting "Don't let her leave!" and then Mrs. Potts shouted to stop her. Her nerves were getting higher and higher and her breath became hitched. This wasn't helping her; it was only making her feel frightened and less welcomed. The dinner and show quickly faded from her mind as she remembered she was never a guest here. She was still their prisoner if she didn't escape right now!

"Ludwig! Ludwig, come help me!" Cyan yelled for Grandpa Apple's horse.

Froufrou ran past the frightened girl and she thought he was going to stop her from going down the last set of steps. But no, the sweet little thing wanted to play. It got on hits back legs and twirled around like it was waiting to play with her.

"No! No, it's not play time!" Cogsworth yelled.

Froufrou ran toward the door and opened up a smaller or human sized door and Cyan smiled when she saw it. It was her way out of here! She mustered enough courage to jump the final three steps, ran past Chapeau who had her coat and ram her way out of the castle. She had forgotten it was still snowy outside because she almost slipped and fall on the slippery snow. The poor girl called Ludwig's name again and the faithful horse gave out a whinny in front of the massive front stairs. She slid down the rails and quickly got on the saddle. The duo were quick to get away from the castle despite they still had to find their way out of the garden maze. The servants' desperate pleas were behind them, but if only Cyan could have heard Lumiere yell "It's dangerous!" would she have stayed?

* * *

How did Cyan's dress get into Beast's room? We will find out soon! First, what will happen to Cyan after her curiosity got her in trouble?

Three chapters down. Only four more to go.

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the peacock chick.

No mean comments or flames please!

If anyone sees a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it.


	29. Wolves!

Ludwig the horse had a better memory than Cyan. She couldn't figure out how to get out while she was still scared. The horse had to take over and get them out of the maze until they went under the icy gate. It was very cold for the pair to be traveling especially this late at night. They couldn't see very well and the forest was a dangerous place to be in. Whether if it was covered in snow or not; a forest is always dangerous to go alone in. This was the first time Cyan was alone in one. Well, she wasn't exactly alone; she had Ludwig and the peacock chick who was in need of a name. That was something she will think of once they were safe at home.

The dangers of the forest was something she had to think of first. Moonlight was their only light and that was barely enough for them to see once Ludwig trotted into the icy forest and the leafless trees that hid the moon with their many branches. It felt like witches grasping the last bit of love or light from the hero's life in a storybook. The dangers were becoming more real as Cyan thought of different scenarios on what could be waiting here: bandits coming to rob of her treasures, a mad man who wants to take her innocence and kill her, wolves stalking for their next meal, or even a evil bag of bugs who wants to gamble her life and cheat. The latter was just a silly thought, but Cyan couldn't pull that out of her head after meeting enchanted objects for servants and a massive beast.

"What would you rather go against, Luddy? Bandits or a talking bag of bugs who gambles?" Cyan asked her steed.

The horse only gave Cyan a weird look. That was a absurd thing to say, but his rider did have a point. Ludwig can try and out run bandits if their own horses weren't in such good shape. A bag of bugs would also be easier to outrun but gambling was a scary thing. His owner Grandpa Apple used to gamble and he was thrown out of a tavern because the players thought he cheated. He didn't cheat; they just accused him so they could take his winnings. _'Thank goodness he can't talk back. I think we're both too tired of this whole ordeal to even think about it.'_ Cyan sighed to herself and looked around. It was more of a maze than the castle gardens. The branches' tips were still iced up and very cold to touch when Cyan's arms came into contact with them. Although they had to go through a small chasm in the ground, some of the branches were long enough to reach half way at her.

"Maybe we didn't think this through, Ludwig."

The horse gave a loud huff at his rider.

"Okay, I didn't think this through." Cyan corrected. "But I had to run away. I didn't do anything to that odd rose...the only thing it did to me was give me a prick."

Cyan's finger was still bleeding. She was only surprised the blood hadn't frozen from the weather. Blood doesn't freeze that easily sometimes. Cyan wished she bandaged it before she ran out of the room because she didn't like the sight of it. It's supposed to be natural to feel squeamish around blood, but she still didn't like it. She tried to take her mind off it by thinking of the dangers her and the animals have to avoid until they could get out of the forest and into the lush fields. Bandits just want money or gems or anything that can be of value. The only thing she had of value was her locket she received on her birthday and Valjean's hat. Although it didn't look special, it was the center of mystifying wonder in the circus. The hat may not look special yet it has something truly wonderful about it. A mad man can be debatable and possibly easily distracted with anything. Ludwig could give him a hoof to the head and they could be free as birds. However, the mad house is far away from Villeneuve so Cyan doubted such a person can even escape very far and if they even had enough sense to coordinate away from the building.

Wolves were another story. Cyan was more afraid of wolves than bandits and madmen. The fear originated in her childhood when she still lived in with her parents. Her mother had prized rabbits in the garden. She made them wear expensive collars to show off their purebred qualities which was absurd because there was nothing a tacky collar can do to the animals. Cyan wasn't allowed to even touch the rabbits unless her father told her it was safe. One day, the servants didn't let her go outside and all Cyan would hear over the servants urgent chatter was her mother screaming off the top of her lungs on how bloody the collars were. A wolf had broke into the garden and ate the rabbits because the collars were too big to fit through their little pen in order for them to get to safety. Cyan didn't see the carnage outside, but she felt horrible for their untimely deaths.

She did encounter a wolf after she was sold to the Golden Dream Circus. Cyan was only thirteen when she was watching over baby Cole. The circus had to stop for the night in the forest because everyone was tired from traveling. Back then, they had a pig and they were part of the acrobats performance because they would try and balance on the squealing pig. They would slip and fall but it was part of the act as a comedy. You didn't want to be around them when the swine screamed or risk not hearing very well for the rest of the day. Cyan made sure Cole was asleep so her adopted parents didn't have a rough night with trying to put him to bed when she heard the pig screaming. At first she thought someone was messing with it until she heard snarling. She looked out the wagon and saw the poor swine being torn apart by the wolf until it stopped moving and screaming while the wolf gnawed through the skin and into the bloody organs. The right front foot was near the wagon and it left a bloody trail where the animal tried to run from the wolf. Cyan remembered screaming seeing the gore and the wolf turning its attention to the little girl. Luckily, Grandpa Apple shot the wolf and scared it off. It left a mark on her memory.

It didn't calm her nerves when she heard howling behind them. When Cyan looked behind, there were four wolves behind on the rocks and the biggest had patches of yellow fur on the forehead. It was probably the alpha of the pack. Something about the wolf didn't set well with Cyan; besides the fact it was a wolf, those eyes looked familiar to her like she's seen someone with those cold, piercing eyes. The glare off the alpha was like knives piercing into Cyan's soul. She's had her own share of people glaring at her, but this was beyond just a simple annoyance. This was full of pure hatred. She's never seen this wolf before and already it hated her for whatever reason. It made Cyan's blood run cold, shivers ran up her spine in fear when the wolf snarled at her, and the eyes locked onto her and her alone. Now instead of Gaston chasing after Cyan as 'prey', she was now real prey. She was the rabbit for this wolf's supper!

"RUN LUDDY RUN!" Cyan screamed.

The horse didn't think twice when he saw the wolves. It was a deadly deja vu for the poor animal since the same thing happened to him a couple nights ago. He wasted no time running away from the ravenous canines. Despite the horse's speed, the wolves weren't giving up the chase and the alpha followed behind with three of the pack members. It became clear that they weren't the only ones chasing the horse and its rider; on the ledges were more white wolves chasing off the sides to make sure the horse didn't attempt to gallop up a small slop and jump out of harm's way. Cyan could barely breathe from the cold air hitting her face and her adrenaline rising in fear when the wolves seem to be getting closer and closer toward them. Ludwig was a fast horse, but he wasn't the fastest the circus had. Poppy could easily outrun these villains without breaking a sweat and he was more agile. Ludwig was a nice horse with more bulk than Poppy, but he can't always keep away from animals like these. Wolves were marathon runners and will not get tired easily.

"I think we rather face the evil bag of bugs than this!" Cyan yelled at Ludwig who neighed urgently like he was agreeing with her.

Their path seemed to be shortening as the ledges grew closer and the road got smaller. Tree branches clawed at Cyan's coat and ripping the fabric on her sleeves. She worried they would snag her right off of Ludwig and leave her hanging. She held onto her horse tightly against the risk of losing her coat. The wolves weren't showing signs of slowing down especially the alpha who still had its eyes locked on Cyan. Ludwig had to make sharp twists and turns in an attempt to lose their pursers, but three wolves ambushed them from the front and forced him to take a sharp left. Cyan's hair snagged on the branch and pieces of frozen bark stuck into her hair. She let out a yelp when Ludwig's footing became unstable all of a sudden and she quickly looked down at their path. The wolves had led them into a icy road that horses hooves couldn't get their bearings. Ice was a friend and foe to anyone, and tonight it wasn't in Cyan's favor. Ludwig struggled to even run on the ice and it was only in vain. The wolves caught up to them and the alpha leaped on Cyan, tackling her into the nearby snow. It bit down on her left arm when she tried to defend her face from it's sharp jaws. Pain shot through her body like a arrow as her arm became warm from the blood pouring in her wound. If Cyan tried jerking her arm back, the teeth will sink in deeper and leave a nastier injury. However, if the wolf starts thrashing its head around, Cyan could lose flesh and it would be even worse.

"Let go of me!" Cyan screamed at the wolf.

Of course, the canine wasn't going to listen. So she had to to do what she had to do: she forced the wolf to let go by grabbing its lower jaw and kicked it away as hard as she could. It was a horrible idea because the cold stung her arm pretty bad. She wanted to cry in agony until she heard Ludwig's whinnying and the peacock chicks squawking. The young lady turned her attention to her animals only see a horrid sight. The rest of the wolves were trying to bring the horse down with two jumping on it back and one biting on his hind left leg. Ludwig put up a fight trying not to fall down, but he was outnumbered. The peacock chick had decided now to see what was going on and one of the wolves had spotted the bird. It was trying to run from the predator while avoiding deep snow and the other wolves when they caught eye of the tiny morsel. The chick was going to be the packs appetizer with Ludwig as the main course if something wasn't stopped. _'Ludwig! Peacock! Hang on!'_ Cyan yelled in her head. She was still afraid of wolves, but she didn't want to lose what little family she had left. Cyan grabbed a large stick nearby and swung at the wolves despite the searing pain in her left arm.

"Get away from them, you beasts!"

This was probably stupid of her. The stick wasn't going to hold off a pack of wolves or even one wolf if they weren't afraid of her. Phillip and Satin Sally would have been scarier than her since Phillip was the strongman and could intimidate the wolves with a large stick or an axe. Whist Satin Sally always looks scary when she's angry. She had a decent shot with a gun and if she saw her adopted daughter hurt right now, the circus would have wolf skin blankets for the winter. Alas, it was just Cyan. She managed to hit one of the wolves on the head with the stick. The wolf was one of the weaker ones because it was never going head on toward the bigger prey and was trying to get the peacock chick. It was rather pathetic and so was its attacker. Cyan couldn't hold away all of them; another wolf bite down on the stick and she struggled to get it back. The peacock chick chirped loudly and Cyan lets go of the stick and slid across the snow to get it when another wolf tried to leap on her back. She held the chick close to her and looked up when the alpha snarled at her from on top of a small ledge. There was no where to run. If they tried to run now, they wouldn't get very far. The alpha readied itself to pounce on the poor girl.

"Someone...Please save us!" Cyan yelled out.

Both human and bird braced for impact and pain when the wolf jumped toward them, but something bigger and brown tackled the alpha off the side. Cyan looked over and saw it was the Beast. He flung the wolf a great distance away from them and the wolf hit a large root hidden in the snow. The rest of the wolves reverted their attention from the horse to the newcomer. Now they had a bigger threat to get rid of. Despite his large size, Beast was still outnumbered yet somehow he had enough strength to go through this ordeal. Three wolves circled him and one leapt on his chest, knocking him down. It snapped its jaws at his face and he would try to get away from the bites. He didn't noticed another wolf coming up at his right leg and bite down hard while thrashing around. There was no way Cyan could leave knowing she left him to die. Her conscious wouldn't allow that. All she needed was a distraction.

"Hey, you furry beasties! Over here!" Cyan waved her hands madly in the air.

This was also a bad idea on her part. Her left arm was still bleeding and it stung even more when she moved it against the cold. Nevertheless, it gave Beast enough time to throw the wolf off his chest then stood up fast, grabbing the other by the neck and tosses it away by its friend. Neither one noticed the alpha charging Beast from behind, jumping on his back and began biting on his left horn, neck, and then his shoulder. Beast growled in pain as he tried to get the wolf and get it off, but the canine was too far for him to reach. He was trying to get it by its back yet he couldn't get a lock on it.

"The head is on your right! The head is on your right!" Cyan shouted.

Beast looked to his right and saw the nose of his attacker, grabbed the canine by the face and yanked it off him. The poor wolf was tossed like it was a sack of potatoes at tree and hit the ground hard. Cyan paled when she saw how bad the damage was to its face. The alpha's left eye was bloody and it had a jagged scar over from its eyebrow to the middle of its cheek. Beast's claws were a lot sharper than she realized. The leader got up shakily and growled weakly at Beast, but he got on all fours and roared loudly at it. His roar was so loud Cyan swore birds could be flying miles away from them and the ground shook from his powerful noise. Thankfully, it was enough to make both the alpha and the rest of the pack run scared with their tails between their legs. What was left from the the battle was scattered paw prints, hoove prints, drag marks, blood, and broken branches in the snow.

 _'I'm still in trouble.'_ Cyan froze when she realized it was just her and the Beast. Was he going to roar at her for leaving the castle? Or was he still mad for messing with that rose in his room? The young girl looked over at Beast who was staring back at her. He only stared at her for a minute until he suddenly collapsed in the snow. The fight had took a huge toll on him and she could see his shirt was torn on the shoulder where he was wounded. He didn't have any strength to get up. Now was her chance! She could easily ride Ludwig away from the Beast and be free again. She could finally go back to the circus and be with her family again! She turned her back at him and helped Ludwig get up. His leg was going to be alright for a short distance and the chick was more than ready to get out of the forest. She secured her bag on the saddle and was about to climb on the horse.

"Saviors are overrated...the whimsical lies of stories...there are no such things as heroes." Beast muttered under his breath.

His words made her freeze. Cyan looked back at him and saw his eyes were half lidded. He was delirious and yet he had to say that. Heroes were a huge part of Cyan's stories and they showed her traits she wanted. Of course, she has a scar like them now. She didn't like it when people called her stories lies or any book she read. There was always heroes and saviors in the world even if it's only for a little while. Not every hero's tale can be remembered after all. It is up to the people to recant their deeds. Now Cyan could just walk away and leave him in the cold. But what kind of a person would that make her. Her conscious would never let her forget and her heart would be heavy remembering she left someone in the cold after he saved her. It would make her feel like a villain or a very, very selfish person. _'Lord, give me strength. I know I'll hate myself later.'_ Cyan thought to herself and took a deep breath. She went over to Beast, draping her coat on his wound, and tried to get his right arm over her back. He was too heavy for her to move even an inch.

"Get up. I can't lift you up." Cyan told him. He shook his head barely. "You need to. Please.."

Beast didn't wait for her next command. He slowly got up and Cyan managed to help him to Ludwig who somehow was strong enough to carry Beast on his back. Cyan looked back where there was a faint light at the very end of the path. It looked far away, but she realized if they had ran they would have been out of the winter covered forest. With a heavy heart, she turned her back at the light and guided Ludwig and the injured passenger down the path toward the castle.

* * *

These wolves may have not liked Valjean and Grandpa Apple, but the alpha wolf has something against Cyan. Unfortunately, she may have lost her only chance to get home.

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the peacock chick.

No mean comments or flames please!

If anyone sees a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it.


	30. Tending wounds

It was a miracle that Beast held on through the trip back to the castle. Cyan and Ludwig took a little while to get to the castle since they weren't paying attention during the run from the wolves. However, they could see the castle lights so they used that as their guide while they went through twists and turns and avoided the branches. Beast was still on Ludwig breathing heavily. He was still injured of course, but the cold didn't get to his wound on his shoulder thanks to Cyan's coat. It was going to be blood soaked and covered in loose fur when she gets it back, but it was better than listening to Beast growl in pain. Cyan's own wound was stinging and burning from the cold. She didn't want to look at it so she pulled her torn sleeve down over it. Although she was cold without her coat, her main focus was hurrying Beast to safety and then she can curl up by a fireplace.

"How are you holding up?" Cyan looked behind.

"Hmph..." Beast grunted. He didn't look up at her.

"You know I'm told I am a good story teller. Would you like to hear one?" She offered.

It wasn't much she could do for him until they could get back to the castle. He could fall asleep during the journey and it could be bad. She doesn't know how bad his wounds were and she didn't want him to die on the way back. Satin Sally once told her that she shouldn't let an injured person fall asleep in the cold if there wasn't anyone else with her. So that way someone could be tending the patient while the other guides them to a safe place. Unfortunately, it was only Cyan, Ludwig the horse, and a peacock chick. The little bird didn't want to come out of the bag once it knew who was on the horse. It was a blessing anyway because Cyan didn't want to juggle trying to keep Beast awake while calming down a frantic bird at the same time. Telling a story was also something Cyan could do to stop herself from breaking down in front of the Beast.

"I can weave you a tale to enchant your mind! I can tell you the mystifying tale of Prince A-"

"Anything...but...that one..." Beast growled.

"Alright then. Anymore tasteless suggestions?" Cyan's left eye twitched. She hated it when someone didn't let her tell her favorite story. But this made her wonder why he didn't wait for her finish that name.

"No..." Beast muttered.

"Once upon a time, in a far away nation, there was a kingdom of yellow." Cyan began the story. "It was ruled by a king and queen whom were very beloved by their people. They ruled with a kind hand and were very fair. However, the king was a sickly man who couldn't rule or handle his duties. So his queen was the face of the kingdom. She carried on both his and her duties: carrying out laws, setting a small tax, meeting other rulers from different kingdoms, and making sure her husband was taken care of."

"Why was...he sick..." Beast asked. His breathing was still heavy, but this was a good sign he was still awake.

"No one knows because he got sick easily. One day, the queen gave birth to twins. A boy and a girl. The church bells blessed them on their birth day and the people wished them good fortune. The children were close and always played together. The girl was a sweet little lass who loved brioche bread. Her brother was a kind boy who made sure there was not a tear on his sister's face. Both children were loved by their parents. Despite he was constantly ill, the king stayed a part of his children's lives. But the happiness was not to last. When the queen grew very sick, the councilmen planned to take over the kingdom by means of the children. They thought the princess had more potential, but she needed to be heartless. So they separated the siblings and took the prince away into servitude."

Cyan knew this story very well and it was always a sad story just like Prince Ali's story. However, she was okay with telling the end of this story and not Ali's. It wasn't all sad so it shouldn't make her own heart clench more. After all, Cyan was literally walking away from her freedom just to save Beast. Her conscious won't be making her feel bad, but her heart felt heavy and sad. Ludwig whinnied when they reached the gate and she looked up seeing the gloomy castle once again. She didn't want to go back to the dungeon so she was sort of hoping she just gets sent to her room. At least there the blankets are warm than the cheap ones in the cell. All they had to do was get through the garden to get to the door.

"I'm afraid this is all I can tell. The story will be for another day." Cyan told Beast.

Ludwig remembered how to get to the stable which was under the giant stairs so he lead the way instead of Cyan. Cyan focused on making sure Beast was able to get off Ludwig once they reached their destination. She noticed the garden had mostly white roses and naked hedges so she assumed he just liked roses more and had hedges to enhance the flowers beauty so people could pay more attention to them. _'At least the flowers are pretty. But the rose in the west wing is more beautiful.'_ Cyan thought. When they finally got to the castle stairs, Mrs. Potts and Lumiere saw them through the foyer window and Chapeau opened the door for them. The coat-rack helped his master off the horse and then up the stairs into the east wing. Cyan made sure Ludwig was nice and cozy in the stable then checked to see if he had food. His leg needed to heal, but he was pleased to get his favorite treats. Cyan called for lemons and apples for her steed so the horse was very happy to be back.

Once she knew he was alright, she got her bag and ran inside the castle. It felt warmer than being outside in the cold. She didn't think it was possible since she was chilly from the moment she first came into the castle. The covers in her room kept her warm and slightly dusty until she opened the window when she made the makeshift rope and when her white dress somehow vanished off her person. The peacock chick hopped out of the bag and saw its human mother's left arm was still bleeding. Her sleeve was soaked in the blood and it was dripping on the floor slightly. Cyan flinched when the bird started to squawk frantically to get anyone's attention. Most of the staff was too busy trying to help their master up the second set of steps. Chapeau wasn't exactly strong enough to get Beast up so it was a miracle he was able to even get him through the first set of stairs. Cogsworth and Lumiere struggled to help him from behind and Lumiere was trying not to set Beasts tattered cloak on fire. Chip was waiting on the trolley while Mrs. Potts sorted out what they may need to help their master when he heard the bird's call. He slid down on his plate and down the rails to reach the two and saw Cyan's bloody sleeve.

"Mama, she's hurt too!" Chip shouted.

"Chip, no-" Cyan tried to tell him, but it was already too late. The motherly china was already at her side.

"Oh good gracious! What happened?!" Mrs. Potts gasped.

"One of the wolves knocked me off my horse and bit me..." Cyan explained.

"You must have been in so much pain...you are a brave one."

Lumiere looked over when Cyan winced at the warm water being poured by Mrs. Potts on her arm. He muttered under his breath, but it made Beast turn his head over to see Plumette flying over with fresh wraps for Cyan's arm. Cyan had to help clean her own wound, and she even had to pull a tooth that the wolf left behind in her flesh. It made Beast feel unpleasant seeing this. Of course, she ran away when she gave her word to stay in his castle forever. But, she was hurt just like him. He couldn't see her anymore when he was lead out of view and into his room. Plumette applied medicine to Cyan's bite mark before she wrapped it up nice and tight. Once she was done, Cyan followed them up the stairs toward the west wing. Mrs. Potts told her to wait until they were done undressing the Beast then the trolley wheeled her in. Her curiosity was getting the better of her again. Cyan peeked through the door and saw Chapeau take off Beasts tattered cloak then his shirt. His chest was broad and furry with brown fur and his arms looked strong and tone. He must have been stronger and bigger than Gaston and Phillip back at Villeneuve. Chapeau helped him into his bed which thankfully was big enough to support his weight and height.

"You can come in now, dear." Mrs. Potts called to Cyan.

The young girl pushed the door open slowly and looked at the Beast. Although the staff could try and tend to his wound, they were either afraid of him for some reason or tired from trying to get him up the stairs. She didn't blame them for the latter because he was too heavy for her to get up off the ground after the wolf attack. It was her fault to begin with so she had to clean his wounds. Cyan walked toward his bed side and took the bowl of hot water off of Mrs. Potts trolley. The staff watched from the end of the bed as she dipped a white rag in the water and wring out the excess water. Hot water felt good on her icy cold hands and it also stung under her nails. Beast had bite marks on the left shoulder, and claw marks across the same side of his chest. His fur barely hid his wounds which was a relief for Cyan so she didn't have to feel for them. Wounded flesh felt slimy and warm to the touch and it always freaked her out if she had look for it. Beast turned his head over to her and gave her a slight glare until he saw her wrapped left arm. It was still bloody on the top, but the wraps didn't allow any blood to leak through. He was too busy looking at her arm that he didn't notice Cyan rub the hot rag against his injuries. She was too rough putting it on the skin and rubbing it the wrong way that he roared loudly in pain. The whole room shook when he did and the staff backed up fast in fear. Cyan jerked the rag back until he was done.

"That hurts!" Beast growled.

"If you hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much!" Cyan yelled.

"Well, if you hadn't run away, none of this would have happened!"

"If you hadn't scared me, I wouldn't have run away!"

"Well, you shouldn't have been in the west wing!" Beast shouted.

"You should've given better instructions! You cannot blame curiosity!"

"Yes, I can!"

"Ugh! Why are you such a child!?" Cyan scoffed.

"I am not acting like a child! You are!"

"Well, you should learn how to control that spit fire temper! Don't forget I just saved your life!" Cyan slammed the rag back into the bowl.

His reaction was only a rude one: Beast quickly turned his back at her and laid on his right side. He didn't want to see her anymore and he was really tired. Cyan sighed indifferent then tried to see his face to see if he was glaring or falling asleep. However, he was too big for her to see over his side and she wasn't going to walk to the other side to check. Maybe she shouldn't have yelled at him since he was hurt, but he was yelling at her first and she's hurt in the arm. It felt like both of them deserved it and perhaps they were even.

"Try and get some rest. Pleasant dreams." Cyan instructed. She turned around and got off the bed then dusted off her dress.

"Thank you, miss." Mrs. Potts nodded.

"We are eternally grateful." Lumiere added.

"Why do you care about him so much?" Cyan asks while she made her way toward the fireplace. She was still chilled to the bone.

"We've looked after him all his life."

"He cursed you though. Why did he do that? You guys did nothing!" Cyan barely looked over as she sat down in front of the hearth.

"You're quite right there dear." Mrs. Potts wept. "You see, when the master lost his mother and his cruel father took that sweet, innocent lad and twisted him up to be just like him, we did nothing."

"I...I'm sorry about that..."

That explained why the man in the portrait was the most clawed figure on it. That must have been his father. What kind of stuff did his father make Beast go through to have such animosity toward his old man? Then again, Cyan was the same way with her own mother; a mother is supposed to support and love a child's for all it's life. A father should have guided and cared for his son, not twist him. Now Cyan sort of understood why Beast acted this cruel toward Valjean and anyone else. Anger can ascend from sadness and if Beast lost his mother at a young age, that must have been a copying mechanism for his father. Cyan couldn't deny that the servants could have done something even if they were afraid of their former master because it reminded Cyan of her own servants as a child. They could have stopped her mother from selling her to the circus, but they were too afraid of their mistress. Fear was a dangerous thing sometimes.

"What about that dress over there..?" Cyan pointed toward her own white dress on the dummy.

"Oh...you see...a couple years ago, the master held a summer ball and there was a young girl dressed in rags. She just showed up out of nowhere and the guests didn't seem to like her. All she wore was a white night dress, a sarong, no shoes, and a white mask on her face." Mrs. Potts explained.

"She was a lovely girl from what we saw. But when the master started insulting her clothes, she called him a clown. He used to wear a lot of white makeup back then. One thing led to another with each of them insulting back and forth. It ended up in a food fight when the girl shoved cranberry sauce in his face." Lumiere added.

Cyan froze in her place. It sounded just like the first dream she had after she ate Agathe's candy. Cyan woke up on hard floor from a harpsichord playing and she met the singer then was forced to join in the dance by a older gentleman with a pocket watch. Now she starting to remember he had a mustache. She wore her new nightdress and borrowed some old clothes from Satin Sally to make her gypsy attire. She also remembering slamming Prince Adam's face in cranberry sauce. But wait, how did they know..?

"Then another prince showed up and was more focused on her than any of the ladies in the room. He was quite charming~." Plumette swooned. "But the master invited her to dinner the next night so she couldn't go with the other prince."

"What was the other prince's name..?" Cyan asked in an almost whisper like tone.

"His first name is easier to remember. But his last name is such a pain to say." Lumiere said.

"Can you at least try?

"Prince Ali Ababwa." Cogsworth said.

Cyan paled realizing it wasn't at all a dream. Prince Ali was real! The servants at the ball were real! Prince Adam was real and he is the Beast! _'How in the world did he turn into this...this...furball with horns!?'_ Her brain kept thinking of reason why in the world it could be. There was always a curse on a character in her storybooks. Some of the characters had something the villain wanted and couldn't obtain so they curse them to rid them of it. Most of the time it was wealth, the character's first born, a horse, food, their personality, or their looks. A lot of the stories suggested just money and their physical appearance. Maybe Adam was changed into this because someone was jealous of his looks. He had enough money to throw around if he tried except his pride wouldn't let him. He was also very handsome so perhaps it was that. That would explain why he was now a beast.

"Dinner went well because she was invited to his next ball. She wore this gown while she and the master danced." Mrs. Potts chimed.

"We never seen him so excited when he looked for her in the crowd." Lumiere smiled a bit and folded his candle hands together. "But alas, their dance was cut short."

"An old beggar appeared and asked for shelter. The master refused twice even when the girl tried to reason with him. The rose and the beggar were a trap; it was actually an enchantress in disguise. When we were cursed, the girl begged the enchantress to spare him. The other guests had left and we thought they were mauled by wolves sent by the enchantress for laughing at her when she was disguised as a beggar. Only the girl showed kindness and she was supposed to be spared." Plumette explained.

"'Supposed'? What happened?" Cyan tilted her head slightly.

"The enchantress struck her and she faded into nothing. The master tried to catch her, but the only things that fell into his arms were this dress and mask. He's kept it in his room to remember her." Cogsworth lowered his head in sadness.

So the enchantress was mad that Prince Adam showed no kindness to her when she was in an ugly semblance. He only changed his mind when she shed it and revealed her beautiful self. Typical; a lot of characters in fairy tales will only marry or hound after women who were of goddess like beauty or just easy on the eyes. Sometimes the beautiful women had money and that was also a motive. But why turn him in a beast? Was it to match his cold personality? Or was there something else to this story than what they were telling Cyan?

"So how is he supposed to return to normal?"  
"Do you see that rose over there under the glass?"

"Ugh, how can I forget about that flower. That was the reason why I ran away in the first place. I took the glass off and I felt the stem. I pricked my finger and the petals on the floor just flew around the flower then went back on the flower." Cyan explained and looked at the pricked finger.

"The petals went back on the rose?! Then we have another year left!" Plumette cheered.

"...Pardon..?"

"The rose had began to wilt months ago! You somehow made the rose better and now we have more time before the curse can take effect." Mrs. Potts said as the trolley went to her.

"What would have happened if the last petal fell?" Cyan looked back at Beast.

"The master would remains a beast forever and we become.." Lumiere tried to explain.

"Antiques!" Mrs. Potts cried.

"Knick-knacks." Lumiere raised his voice so Cyan could hear him over the poor china's cries.

"Slightly used housewares." Plumette added.

"Rubbish." Cogsworth certainly wasn't sugarcoating it.

"You're not holding anything back, aren't you. Is there anything we can do to break this spell?" Cyan stood up fast.

"Well, there is one." The old clock suddenly perked but Lumiere hit him on the head fast before he could explain it.

"It's not for you to worry about, lamb. We've made our bed and we must lie in it." Mrs. Potts gave her a warm smile.

"I mean, what can I do? Maybe I can find the girl who wore this dress!" Cyan shouted.

It was strange that a few hours ago, she was trying to escape from them to get to the front door. Now she wanted to help them be free. Cyan didn't want them to turn into objects.. it was so sad to think about these nice people no longer alive once the last petal falls. It seemed like a stroke of luck that Cyan pricked her finger and the petals returned in their place on the flower. Now if the curse can be lifted if she just dresses up in her gown and mask then everything can be returned to normal and she can leave! She was the girl Beast danced with at his dances. This has to be it.

"I'm afraid we didn't know what she looked like because she always wore this mask. All we remember was she had red hair. Only the master remembers the small details. We don't even know her name.." Cogsworth grimly says.

"We don't know if she's even alive. The curse can't be lifted unless the master learns to love and receive love in return." Plumette added.

"Let him sleep." Lumiere gestured them all out.

Cyan felt like her heart was breaking into pieces as she and the others made their way out of the room. Her hands clenched slightly as she walked away from the servants and went toward the east wing. She stopped in front of her room door and stared at the door handle. She felt like her body didn't want to open the door. Her sadness was bubbling up inside her as she felt hot tears run down her cheeks. Beast had been saved and he's recovering, but Cyan was still his prisoner. She wasn't free; she gave up her chance for freedom to save him. What seemed like an easy task to break the curse turned out to be a more of a challenge. If Cyan doesn't find a way to break this curse, not only would Adam remain a beast but the staff she met be turned into soulless objects. Perhaps he won't remember her as a beast-or will he still have a human conscience and just be alone in the castle without his servants? Would she still be his prisoner and never see her circus family again? Did she waste her only opportunity..?

"Oh, poppet what's the matter.." Cyan heard Mrs. Potts voice on her right side.

"I...I-I'm sorry..." Cyan's voice broke.

"You did nothing wrong-"

"I wanted to go home...! I miss my family, Mrs. Potts...I wanted to see them again.." Cyan rubbed her eyes more.

"Oh dearie, please don't cry.."

"I want to see my friends...I want to see my little brother..I want my papa back..." Cyan sobbed.

Her walls have broken and she slid down to her knees and cried in her hands. Mrs. Potts tried to calm her down as best as she could, but Froufrou heard the poor girl's sobbing and ran straight into Cyan's arms. Although he couldn't lick her face, he nuzzled her face to dry her tears. The peacock chick cuddled up to her neck in an attempt to cheer her up. As much as it hurt, Cyan still had a few remnants of her circus life in her bag and she had Grandpa's Apple's horse and the peacock chick. It was going to hurt for a while until she figured out what to do next. For now, the castle was her home.

"Thank you Froufrou..."

* * *

Everyone is just human and it's okay to cry. Don't let your emotions bottle up because you are not alone.

It looks like Cyan found out how her dress got in Beast's room and finds out him and Prince Adam are the same!

Some of her dresses are based off of Vocaloid dresses and some of her stories will be inspired by some of their songs too.

Story is based of a song called Servant of Evil by Mothy. It belongs to Vocaloid and Mothy.

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the peacock chick.

No mean comments or flames please!

If anyone sees a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it.


	31. A nightmare and spicy soup

Cyan rubbed her eyes and looked around to see she was in a soft, lush green field. The wind blowing across her face was warm. It wasn't freezing cold and nothing was covered in snow. The sky wasn't cloudy or dark. It was probably midday from the position of the sun was in the sky. She looked at her left arm and saw her sleeve wasn't torn or bloody with no sign of the bandage wraps. Her arm looked like it never was bitten by a wolf. _'I thought I was in the castle! How did I get out here?'_ Cyan began to wonder. The last thing she remembered was crying in the east wing hallway with Mrs. Potts trying to comfort her and Froufrou jumped her. Before that, she was talking to the servants after finding out about the curse and the rose. She looked ahead of her to see the forest entrance which wasn't covered in snow and the trees still had their leaves. This was part of the woods that wasn't part of the cursed part where the castle was hidden.

"Cyan!" a voice called out from behind.

"Cole...?" Cyan knew that voice anywhere.

She looked behind to see the circus wagons and carts. The animals were in their respectful wagons. The giraffes were standing tall in their wagon and some were trying to eat the juicy leaves on the very top of the trees. The elephants didn't have their own wagon so they helped pull carts and their riders were always their caretakers. The pachyderms had paint dots on their head and wore feathered hats to make them look both silly and majestic. Most of the elephants liked just the paint on and some liked the feathered hats, but the matriarch always wore a crown to show off her reign. The tigers were in their wheeled vehicle with Rebecca in with them. She looked so happy to see her best friend since she was shouting Cyan's name and waving with both arms. Bella rode on a horse with Phillip holding onto the rope so the horse wouldn't try and buck her off. Jacque was by Grandpa Apple in his little rickety wagon and in the back were barrels of delicious apples for the old man's tasty treats.

Cole was on the baby elephant as his steed and his mother Satin Sally was near him with Poppy the horse. The baby elephant had its trunk wrapped around the side of Poppy's saddle so it can keep up with him. Everyone was on a nearby hill and they were ready to head out. Cyan could only feel her heart swell in her chest from happiness. Everyone was back and they were right in front of her.

"There you are, nina." Satin Sally waved her right hand. "Did the sun make you sleepy again?"

"We're finally leaving Villeneuve! We said goodbye to LeFou for ya!" Cole called out.

"Food's enough for us all and we got the wagon fixed! When we stop, I'll make some candied apples for the rest of the trip!" Grandpa Apple laughed.

A candied apple would be a dream come true. The castle's desserts were tasty, but Cyan wanted a sugary sweet that made a pleasing crunch when she bites down on the skin of an apple and the sweet syrup or caramel coating on it. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the desserts she had when the servants gave her a show. But there was something missing when she 'sampled' the sweets: love. It was ironic since the whole castle was cursed until the master could learn to love and get it back in return. It seemed like the food tasted the same way. Food can be full or less of flavor, it could look professional or humble, but it all needed one thing to make the eater want more: love. A cook has to fold it into the dish to show the guest that he or she enjoyed making this dish. Grandpa Apple may be a grump if any of the younger members tried to steal a sweet when he was done making one. But he knew the little thieves loved his treats enough to want to take one from him.

"Ah ha! There is the finest story teller in all of France!" Valjean laughed.

"Valjean.." Cyan smiled wide seeing her adopted father.

The ringleader looked like he was in better health than the last time Cyan saw him. He didn't look sickly or sad. His clothes weren't creased, his top hat was back on his head, and there was a smile on his face.

"Come on, Cyan! It's time for us to go!" The ring leader shouted as he climbed onto Poppy.

Cyan felt her heart leap with anticipation. They were going to leave the judgmental village and she could kiss the castle goodbye. She couldn't wait to travel again with the circus. They could perform in front of crowds again, earn money to get actual food again, and the cruel glares of the villagers will be far away from them. The best part was Gaston would not be hounding after her once they leave! It would be paradise to have that bully of a hunter gone and the Bimbettes will stop envying her for having his attention. Cyan was already far away from Gaston when she is in the castle, but this would be a whole lot better. She tried to get up off the ground, but her legs felt weak like they have walked miles and miles and demanded rest. When she tried to take a step, her movements were sluggish and heavy. A massive paw grabbed hold of her left arm and gave it a painfully tight squeeze.

When she turned around, there was Beast holding her arm. His claws were longer than a knife and as sharp as one, his fangs were larger and he looked nothing like he was before. He was like a black silhouette with yellow eyes glaring down at her. He began to pull her toward the forest and she struggled against his grip trying to escape. His grip would tighten whenever she came close to loosening her arm from his paw.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Beast growled.

"Unhand me!" Cyan yelled at him.

"You belong to me now! You will remain as my prisoner!"

"No! Please, let me go! Valjean, help me!"

"Come on Cyan! You have to hurry up or you'll be left behind." Valjean called out to her.

The circus was starting to march on down the fields away from her. Hardly any of the members noticed that Cyan was being dragged against her will. Normally they would abandon everything they were doing and swarm in to rescue a member in need. Rebecca saw her needing help yet she just waving at her. The more Cyan struggled to dig her feet into the ground, the more it seemed like Beast got stronger and dragged her more into the woods.

"Let's go...Cyan...!" She barely heard Satin Sally's voice.

"You will not escape this time!" Beast laughed wickedly.

It felt like the forest started to change. The precious light of the entrance was being covered by the branches extended to the lower ground and the bark was turning icy and the leaves quickly fell to the ground. The warm air became cold then soon Cyan couldn't dig her hand into the soil because it had became too hard for her keep it in. Wolves circled around the Beast and Cyan like they were waiting for him to let go and the alpha began to follow her from behind. Those piercing evil eyes stared down Cyan's soul with great disdain and a snarl escaped from its mouth. Cyan could still hear the circus' happy chatter and their laughter getting farther and farther away from her.

"NO, PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! HELP!"

Cyan sat up fast in cold sweat and looked around her surroundings fast. Her arm stung bad from her sudden jerk and she clenched her left arm fast in pain. That was a very good sign that this was reality. A very painful sign. She hissed under her breath, looked down to see her arm was still bandaged, and that she needed to change them soon. Her wrappings were dark red from the blood and they needed to be replaced so she doesn't develop an infection. Her back also hurt from sleeping on the floor. Cyan was still in the hallway of the east wing and the sunlight burned her eyes as she tried to open them. Deep sleep can leave the eyes full of sand and it would be painful to open them up suddenly at the blaring light after one wakes up. Once she regained sight, she looked down to see four blankets on her person and a soft pillow under her head. Cyan also had a guest with her: Froufrou was cuddled up on her thighs and snoring away while kicking its little hind legs. _'Must be chasing something in his sleep.'_ She smiled a little and stroked Froufrou's back. She couldn't deny that it was cute despite the fact Froufrou was a footstool.

He was lucky to be having pleasant dreams since Cyan had a nightmare. She hadn't had one in a long time; not since she was a child. She would get them after her mother sold her and it would leave her crying in the middle of the night until Valjean or Satin Sally comforted her back to sleep. They would hug and stay with her until she fell back asleep. Last night, she must have cried herself to sleep. The servants must not have wanted to move her, though they made sure she was at least bundled up for the cold night and a soft pillow to sleep on. But why didn't they just add cushions under her so her body didn't feel stiff? Cyan slowly removed the blankets and Froufrou off her, but she made sure the blankets circled around the footstool and gently placed what she thought was his head on the pillow. It was very adorable watching him curl up on its new bed as it wagged its tassel like tail. Cyan managed to walk down the hall, down the stairs, and didn't stumble down the foyer stairs. She was hungry and she was hoping the staff had fruit or something light for her stomach.

"Ah, hello there mademoiselle!" Lumiere yelled down by a small table where him and Cogsworth were having a chess match.

"Good mornin..." Cyan muttered.

"It's not morning! It is very late!" Cogsworth shouted.

"What time is it...?" Cyan yawned.

"It is thirty minutes past two."

"Gosh, it's that late..."

"We didn't want to wake you after a very dangerous night. And a stressful one if I may add. Mrs. Potts informed us you cried yourself to sleep." Lumiere explained.

"Ugh, does everyone know I cried?"

"Yes." Cogsworth bluntly said.

"You don't sugarcoat anything, do you?" Cyan frowned.

"No, he doesn't." Lumiere shook his head.

The young girl walked over toward where the clock and candelabra played before she grabbed an apple from a nearby fruit bowl by the table. Luckily it wasn't made of wax or else that would be the second time Cyan has embarrassed herself in front of the staff. She pulled a chair over and watched the two play. It was odd watching two objects play chess, but it was quite invigorating to see Cogsworth tremble when Lumiere moved a pawn away from his knight. Chess must be a complex game to some people, and an easy game for others. It involved strategy, concentration, a very good memory, and a whole lot of luck. Personally, Cyan preferred checkers because it was an easier game for her to remember. All she needed was black and red pieces and just move them around until she could get all her opponents pieces. Chess wasn't something she was good at, but she did remember some tactics from the times LeFou and Dick would play chess.

"So who's winning?" Cyan asked after she took another bite out of her apple.

"Isn't it obvious? I am." Cogsworth huffed.

"I dunno, monsieur. Lumiere may win."

"He will not! My plan is flawless! This time I should declare victory! Knight to bishop three!" The clock moved his knight one of Lumiere's

"Lumiere, move your pawn to his king." Cyan suggests. The candelabra looked at the board fast and quickly moved his pawn and surrounded Cogsworth's king before he took it off.

"Checkmate!" Lumiere laughed.

The old clock sputtered undignified, gawking at the board. Cyan guessed Cogsworth doesn't always win this game against Lumiere. They were playing this game last night before she ran out of the castle so she's wondering if he lost that round too. She couldn't help but laugh at Cogsworth trying to say it didn't count that she helped Lumeire won. It still counts. This reminded her of when Dick went against Gaston in chess and when he won, Gaston slammed his hand under the board and threw the game on the floor. LeFou had a hard time looking for the pieces especially when there was patrons coming in for drinks. His hand would get stepped on, he would be shoved aside, and one time his shirt got caught under a chair's leg and ripped half off when he stood up. Seems like neither him or Cogsworth got a break from this cruel game known as chess.

"Fancy a game of checkers?" Cyan asked with a mouthful of apple mush.

"Checkers? There's no sport or competition in that child's game." Cogsworth grimaced. "And don't speak with your mouth full!"

"If you don't want to play it, then say so. Or else you're just afraid I'll beat you." Cyan swallowed what was left in her mouth before taking another bite.

"'You' beat me? Ha! I accept your challenge."

Lumiere switched chairs with her so she could face the board. Chapeu brought over the checker pieces and switched them out for the chess pieces. Out of everything that was fancy in this blooming castle, the checker pieces were standard: black and red pieces. Cyan half expected them to be silver and gold since the chess pieces Lumiere and Cogsworth used were ivory and bronze. It seemed hypocritical of Beast unless he thought chess was better than checkers then there will be another argument later on between Cyan and Beast. Chip and Plumette wanted to watch when they saw Chapeau bring out the pieces and Chip had Chapeau set him by Lumiere to see while Plumette flew over to her lover.

"Which color do you want to be?" Cyan asks.

"Black."

"That'll be the color of your soul."

"What?!"

Lumiere laughed boisterously and hugged his sides. If Cogsworth had chosen red, Cyan would have asked if he were part bull because he would be mad seeing the color. The game went on for quite a while since Cogsworth kept doubting his moves and would change his pieces on the board. It was a good thing since he had eleven of her pieces and she had seven of his. Cyan had only one red piece left on the board and it seemed like Cogsworth was going to win. He grew cocky through the game and made one careless step: he moved a piece to her and left enough gaps for her to jump on all seven of his and have her piece be kinged at the same time! The look on Cogsworth's face soured when he watched Cyan take his pieces out with her last and won the game. This time his opponent didn't cheat so he naturally he wanted a rematch. He became the red pieces and she got the black pieces; Cyan ended up winning again because he made the same careless mistake. Mrs. Potts came along to see what the commotion was about with the peacock chick following her on the trolley. She went ahead and had Chapeau change Cyan's bandages after she poured a little warm water to clean the wound. Plumette and Lumiere wanted to play the game after Cogsworth demanded a break. He was having fun, but he didn't want to admit it.

The couple's game grew long since Lumiere would send flirtatious comments at her and she would retaliate with sassy remarks. It was enough for Cyan to gag and call that there were children in the room. The only children in the room were Chip and the peacock chick, but that still didn't stop the couple. Time flew by fast with the staff laughing and playing what Cogsworth called a child's game. It seemed like the game was a popular item today. Chapeau played against Mrs. Potts, then Plumette and Cogsworth, then Froufrou ruined Cogsworth's game against Lumiere when he ran into the table. Chip made it a game to see who can find the most pieces and of course, Cyan was the only one who could look around and bend easily unlike the other staff members. She let the young teacup win even when she could see pieces hidden under different tables and the couch. He was so happy to have won and no one had the heart to tell him she let him win. Mrs. Potts couldn't have been happier seeing her son so full of glee.

"WHERE IS MY DINNER!?" Beast roared from his room. His roar made everyone jump.

"Oh no. We forgot!" Cogsworth gasped.

"We were too busy playing that we forgot to prepare dinner!" Lumiere shook his head and looked at Cogsworth for the time.

It was almost six-thirty. They spent four hours playing checkers and didn't realize how late it was. The sun was starting to set outside. Fun can take a great deal of time away from a person. Work can drone the time and make it feel like an eternity in under a minute or two. Cyan wondered during their curse, how did they pass the time when they couldn't do hardly anything. Lumiere said they were rusting and didn't serve anyone else besides the Beast. Or did they even serve him if he wasn't in a good mood? The better question was is he ever in a good mood? Cyan's only seen hurt and anger from him. She glanced over at the others to see them either fidgeting, shaking, or just fainted. Cogsworth was the only one so far that fainted. Maybe there was something she could do to help ease their minds a bit. Cooking isn't all that hard as long as she didn't burn anything.

"Just tell him I am making the dinner and it's soup." Cyan quickly stated.

"Do you even know how to cook?" Plumette asked.

"Well...I burnt stew before I went to look for Valjean and Grandpa Apple. But I was just distracted! So don't worry! How hard can it be to make soup?" Cyan smiled.

Of course it was the hardest thing for her to do. It took Cyan a few minutes to actually let the oven of a chief to let her cook off him and without help so she can remember how to make this mixed soup Satin Sally made once. It was a hearty soup that she would throw anything edible in so she called it Circus Mix Soup. A simple dish that only took time boiling the water. Cyan ended up almost burning the pot when she left it over the fire too long and the water evaporated and the pot caught on fire. She peeled the skins off the potatoes then hacked them up into big and small chunks. She left them in too long and they somehow turned into mush in the water.

"Mademoiselle, do you even know what you are doing?" The chief asked.

"I think I know what I am doing."

"So you don't know."

"It looks like it. Are potatoes supposed to be this mushy?"

"Try thickening it."

"Thank you!" Cyan ran toward the ice box.

Luckily, they had heavy cream so she was able to pour some into the mushy potatoes, then poured in chicken juice when she found the chief was going to prep a chicken and left it on a pan. It wasn't congealed yet so this was recent the chief put the chicken out. She skinned and diced the carrots, chopped tiny slices of celery, added leftover fish meat from last nights supper, then some salt and pepper when she thought it tasted sort of burnt. Somehow the burnt flavor stuck to the food after her first attempt. There are two things Cyan was good at in the kitchen: prepping the food and tasting the food. Cooking would make her guests either fall sick or leave a bad taste in their mouths, because her food would be raw or burnt to eat. The only foods she was okay creating were eggs and pancakes. However, she was willing to keep trying even if practice isn't help to her at this point.

"How is the cooking going?" Plumette poked her head in.

"Almost done. I just want to add something that will give this a kick." Cyan called back then looked over at the spice rack. "Chili pepper, cumin, dry pepper, jalapeno pepper- you sure have a collection here, monsieur."

"I am very proud of it." The chief gestured to himself.

"What is this one?" Cyan held up a bright red dust in a covered small cup.

"Esplette pepper. One of the hottest pepper in all of France. If you want to put that in, use a tiny dusting."

"WILL YOU HURRY UP, GIRL!? I AM STARVING! YOU ARE TAKING TOO LONG TO MAKE THIS SOUP!" Cyan heard Beast yell from upstairs.

 _'You need to learn some manners, 'prince'.'_ Cyan's rage was seething slowly as she struggled to keep it in. Her left eye twitched in annoyance and Plumette could tell she was trying very hard not to explode. That was something she saw different compared to her master: Cyan tries hard to keep her anger in check. She doesn't want to show she is mean when she's angry. However, the feather duster couldn't help but feel afraid when Cyan took off the espelette pepper cup's covering and dumps the whole thing into the pot and quickly stirred it around. The chief gasped dramatically at the young girl's actions as a semi-sweet yet terrifying smile formed on her face.

"There that's a tiny dusting." Cyan chimed and poured some into a bowl and walked out of the kitchen.

"Uh oh." Plumette and chief both said.

Cyan was quick to reach the west wing since she was eager to see her victim's face when he tries this soup. She knocked on the door and heard Beast gruffly say "come in." When Cyan opened the door, he was laying down in his bed still; only this time he wore a white shirt. It was a shock to see that he had clothes that fit since he was huge compared to a humans. Perhaps he has seamstress' in his staff to make his clothes instead of having to send someone out to get them. Or did he steal these clothes in the dark of the night. Possibly not. His pride probably didn't let him. If Beast was still Prince Adam, his pride was just as large as it was back then.

"I present to you: your dinner." Cyan spoke in a snobbish tone.

"It is about bloody time! What took you so long?!"

"You cannot rush perfection. I had trouble with a pot." She made her way over to his bedside and got a spoonful of the red soup.

"What is this monstrosity?"

"It's is called a Circus Mix Soup."

"Why is it called that?" Beast narrowed his eyes at the bowl.

"Because it is a menagerie of food in a soup. Here take it."

"I can't hold it with my left hand."

"You got hurt on your shoulder not your hand. So take it." Cyan insisted.

"You have to feed me it."

"You are not a baby! I had to cook with an injured left arm and you don't hear me complaining!"

Eventually, Beast had won the argument since she didn't want to wait any longer. She wondered if he was stupid enough to even let her handle a spoon since she was going to give him a big helping of the spicy soup. The spoon was, of course, a silver spoon and it wasn't a staff member so Cyan was lucky to not have the surprise ruined. It made Beast look hopeless when he leaned his head forward to take a bite out of the spoon. The last time Cyan had to help feed someone was when Cole got sick with the sniffles. Beast's mouth began to huff and he grunted from how spicy the soup was. He looked around fast to look for something to drink, but he forgot he never called for water when he asked for dinner. Cyan laughed so hard she almost spilled the soup on her dress as Beast struggled to get out of bed and run down the hall to find water.

This would be the last time Cyan was allowed to be near esplette in the castle

* * *

Cyan's prone to having nightmares every now and then. It looks like Beast was the cause of her nightmare in this. Her soup didn't turn out burnt like the stew, but she added too much spice to get back at Beast. I tried to look up the hottest pepper in France and esplette was the on the list. However, any reader who is from this lovely country, please let me know if this is wrong and I will fix it! It'll be great if you can tell me what really is a hot pepper so I can correct my mistake! I hope you all like this!

A shoutout to one of my followers grapejuice101! They suggested this nightmare and this was an awesome beginning for this chapter! Thank you!

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan, the circus, and the peacock chick.

Please no mean comments or flames.

If you see a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it.


	32. A very cold night

"Ah, that was great." Cyan laughed as she stripped off her dress and her stockings.

"I don't think you should be teasing the master so shamefully." Garderobe scolded.

"You sound like Cogsworth. He came in after Beast ran out to look for water."

"What did he say?"

"I have no clue. I wasn't paying attention to him because I was crying from laughing too much."

Garderobe would frown very deeply if she still had her lips. Instead, her blue curtains drooped slightly at Cyan's comment. Beast had a fiery mouth and after eating Cyan's soup, it became literal as he had struggled to get out of his bed to run out the room to look for something to drink. Esplette peppers were a very hot food and the chief rarely used it because their master could barely hold down extremely spicy food. He complained that the soup was slightly burnt and that Cyan needed more practice. Cyan already knew she needed help on her cooking and neither of them wanted to argue for the rest of the night due to they were both tired. It was a mutual draw until the next time they butt heads again.

"Did you even know how to cook?"

"Well, a little bit. I can cook eggs and pancakes alright. I only have trouble flipping them. If I try and cook meat, it'll be either still raw or burnt beyond reason." Cyan explained as she tossed her dress off her and began to put on her white nightdress.

"What was the last thing you cooked before your soup?"

"It was a vegetable stew with pork meat. Funny it was the first time in few months that we were able to eat pork because it was too expensive."

"What did you do to it?"

"I...maay have been distracted with something and the whole dish burnt."

"...It's a stew." Garderobe said in a flat tone.

"Yes, I know what it was."

"How can you burn stew!? Everything is in water!"

"You sound like a friend of mine back home. She said exactly the same thing." Cyan gagged as she thought of that awful stew.

Of course, it was her fault for getting distracted in the first place since she was supposed to be cooking the lunch that day. It was probably the last ruined dish the circus ate from Cyan until she could figure out a way to reach them again. The nightmare was still fresh on her mind and she didn't want to believe they would leave her behind. She did start to wonder if anyone was mad at Phillip for letting her take his turn cooking the lunch. _'Or perhaps they were mad at first then probably sad that I may not be coming home any time soon. Somehow, I imagine they are probably thanking the Lord for casting the evil in my cooking.'_ Cyan frowned at the thought. It wasn't a surprise if that was the case. She would easily admit she was a bad cook, but she was still learning! Although, she needs a little bit more work on cooking meat and she's only been trying since she was ten. Ten years of cooking hasn't worked out in her favor just yet. Bacon was easier to cook since no one really cared if she burnt it. Everything else besides bacon didn't really come out right if Cyan took control of the kitchen. She was defiantly better at prepping and cutting the food than actually blending the flavors together. Otherwise it all ended up the same taste: burnt with a hint of charcoal.

However, the soup she made for the Beast didn't taste like her normal cooking. It was decent until she added too much spicy pepper in it just to 'teach' him some manners. The cook agreed they should save it in case someone was frozen and needed to ingest it to warm up quickly so the rest of the soup was saved. Cyan walked out from behind the side curtains and tossed her dress into a nearby basket with her stockings. The basket was quick to run out of the room toward the laundry area so it could be cleaned. Plumette had kindly informed Cyan who were girls and who were boys in the castle, so she didn't freak out if any other objects moved in her room. The basket was a female who made sure the clothes were taken to wash quickly so they could have it ready for the next day. Although, Cyan picked out an outfit to wear for tomorrow so she can give her favorite blue dress a break.

"I slept all morning and part of the afternoon. I am so tired.." Cyan yawned.

"You were attacked by wolves last night, little one. So I hope you are tired."

"And very sore from laying on the floor after crying myself to sleep."

"It is okay to cry. It is good for you to let it out than hold it in." Garderobe yawned loudly.

Naturally, the massive piece of furniture was more tired than Cyan. She couldn't get out of the room easily so all she can do is stand around in Cyan's room and yawn. She could have dressed her new 'model' in other fabrics to make a fabulous dress, but luckily for Cyan, Garderobe was too tired to do anything. The young lady turned toward her bed when the peacock chick hopped up and down tiredly and noticed her plush blankets were gone. The replacements didn't look so comfy, they were flat, and looked a little dull. Cyan could see how thin three of the four blankets were then saw how tight the blankets hugged the mattress. The last time she saw the bed was when it had fluffy blankets and Lumiere jumped on them and got covered in dust.

"..what happened to my blankets? Did Beast take them away thinking I was going to escape again?!" Cyan looked over at Garderobe fast.

"Oh no, no, no. They were very dusty so Mrs. Potts had them cleaned and dried. You'll get them back tomorrow."

"But I took a nap under them yesterday and they were fine."

"We don't want you to get a cold under dusty sheets."

There wasn't any logic in what she said. Cyan was too tired to think of a snide remark for it so she climbed into her bed. The candles were put out when Garderobe beckoned her goodnight. Cyan turned her head to the left to see the peacock chick cuddling up by her neck. Its feathers ticked her a little but not enough to make her want to laugh. She rubbed under its beak and it rested its little head on her chin. Now she wasn't going to move or risk disturbing the bird from its slumber. _'I still have to give you a name.'_ Cyan thought to herself. Her situation in the castle made her forget that she needed to name her companion. She couldn't really think of any names that suited it. If she remembered right, Jacque said the chick was a boy so he will grow into a fine peacock with beautiful tail feathers. The circus animals were named for either their personality or for whatever name the animals would respond to. Right now, Cyan's mind was a blank from tiredness. She let out a small yawn before pulling the covers over her neck then made sure the chick was nice and warm underneath. Cyan glanced at her clock and the moonlight helped her see it.. thankfully she had placed it by the window. The clock read eight thirty as she closed her eyes.

It only felt like a moment when she closed her eyes. All she heard was Garderobe's loud snoring and the wind blowing against the window. Cyan glanced down to check on the chick. It somehow rolled its little head off her chin and was cuddled up on her pillow. She has full mobility of her head so she can turn to her clock to see the time. She wasn't able to see the clock since the moonlight had moved away from the nightstand near her bed. However, the device does make a noise when an hour past. The gears would shift the arms on the clocks face, then a small hammer that banged two smalls bells behind the glass so the glass would give off a ding noise. In the past, it had annoyed Cyan's mother once and she just slammed it on Cyan's dresser before she stormed back to her shared room. It didn't really bother Cyan since it gave her the correct time so she didn't see why it bothered that rude woman. Cyan didn't have to wait long for the clock to ding. She heard the tiny hammer creak as it got ready to hit the bells when the arms grew closer to the hour. The glass dinged twelve times signaling it was midnight. Her clock wasn't the only one telling the time; Cyan turned her attention to her room door when she heard a certain someone whine from behind the entryway. It sounded like Cogsworth was trying not to chime like a normal clock since his voice was strained and worried.

 _'Cinderella would have liked him since he doesn't like to tell the time like this. Maybe she could have stayed at the ball longer instead of rushing to get home before the cursed clock tower stroke midnight. However, I think I rather rush home than lay in the freezing cold.'_ Cyan thought to herself and shivered under the blankets. She didn't realize how cold the room truly was until she was fully awake. Her body trembled in an attempt to keep the heat in her, but it was in vain. It seemed like no matter how much she moved it was wouldn't get warmer. A cruel deja vu came to her when she realized she was cold in the dungeon. Maybe this time she could make a fire. Unfortunately, she remembered there wasn't a fireplace in her room. The only rooms that did were the foyer, the kitchen, the dining room, and the Beast's room. Those were the only rooms she's been in so she doesn't know about the other rooms in the castle. She could go down the foyer for warmth, but it seemed more like a hassle to get out of bed and go down two sets of stairs and hope the fireplace had a fire going. Cyan didn't know where the servants kept the firewood outside and it certainly wasn't worth the risk of freezing to death while looking around the castle grounds for wood.

"Maybe if I lay very still and curl the blankets around me, I'll be warm." Cyan whispered to herself and grabbed all the blankets around her and chick.

She balled the lower and upper blankets around them until they were in a tight ball of fabric. Cyan felt cold from doing all this until she stayed still underneath. The chick remained asleep on the pillow. Little bird didn't want to wake up from its sweet slumber while its human mother struggled to get warm. It seemed like the balled blankets was working since the heat retained in the blankets. It was now comfortable for her to try and go back to sleep. However, Cyan had yet another problem and it's name was Garderobe. Her snoring grew louder with every breath she took and let out. Cyan grabbed her pillow then folded it around her ears to block out the noise. It didn't help, but it made the blankets open up from how big the pillow was. Cold air escaped into the hole and now the chick decided it was too cold to sleep any longer.

 _'I wonder if it would be bad if I set her on fire to make the room toasty.'_ Cyan thought deviously. Normally, she would not be thinking such horrid deeds, but she was cold and tired. If she did accomplish this, the young lady would have guilt for the rest of her life because she just found out that every servant in the castle was a human. So that deed was pushed out of her head as she tried to think of a sensible plan. She now had a peacock chick on board and wanting warmth so the fireplace plan was an option that neither one wanted to do. There was another plan even though it was the last thing Cyan wanted to do. She could ask the Beast to share his bed for the night. It was obviously a horrible idea since she knew he didn't like her, but Cyan knew him both as a human and a beast so she HAD a reason not to like him. He only knew her when she had a mask on. He probably didn't know her name since she never gave him one so that was a horrible thing on his part. His temper left something to not be desired, but dang it she was cold in her own room!

Cyan gathered up the chick and one of their thin blankets before scurrying across the cold floor. Tile floors weren't very good at keeping the cold away from delicate feet during the winter. Wooden floors were the same way, but it seemed like they were much better compared to what Cyan's feet was going through. She used everything in her power to keep herself not yelping from how cold the floor was. Her walk turned into scurrying tiptoeing as she made it toward the door. The door made a loud creak when she opened it. This made both human and bird flinch in fright and quickly turned around to look at the giant wardrobe. Garderobe snorted loud from the noise, it was quiet for a few moments, then she snored loudly again. _'Wow, Madame is quick to slumber.'_ Cyan scratched the back of her neck in thought. She didn't know a lot of people who could go to sleep that fast except Grandpa Apple and no one could really get him up even if they shouted in ear or dragged him toward the elephants so they can trumpet in his ears. The only things that could wake him up from deep sleep was saying "the rum is gone," and the sound of a freshly squirted wine from the barrel or a bottle.

The chick poked its little head out to see if there was anyone in the hall. Cogsworth was sound asleep, leaning on the small table across from their door. He must have been patroling the halls and fell asleep on duty. The poor soul looked cold so Cyan draped her blanket on him and then he snuggled into the thin blanket in his sleep. It was sort of odd, but it was strangely sweet. Cogsworth must've not had very good nights in the past as a clock. He sounded like he hated it when he had to chime the hour. Now he was alright for the moment. Cyan quietly tiptoed down the hall; every now and then, she jumped two feet in the air when Cogsworth snorted in his sleep. Eventually, she made it to the foyer and took a silent breath of relief. She was glad that she didn't wake up Cogsworth, but now she felt colder from taking her time out of the hall. The chick was shaking slightly from the low temperature so Cyan had to hurry. Down below behind some curtains, she saw three faint lights moving around. She was surprised the curtains didn't catch fire, but there was a different kind of burn going on from behind it, from the sound of it.

"Oh, no." She overheard Plumette say.

"Oh, yes." Lumiere said huskily.

"Oh, NO."

"Oh, yes, YES."

"I have been burned by you before."

Cyan had to run across to the west wing so neither of the lovebirds could see her and also so she wouldn't gag loudly from the sickly sweet scene. She honestly didn't expect the staff could still do that as objects. Maybe they can't. She didn't want to see for herself! Cyan shivered from the thought before she made her way across the west wing and toward Beast's room. The door was partly opened so all the young lady and peacock chick had to do was squeeze through. Whoever left the door open shouldn't have because the room wasn't warm. Cyan wondered if it was because of the sun room because all that surrounded it were windows. Windows didn't keep the warm in very well. The fireplace was dimming so that must mean the room was cold enough to slowly extingish the flames. Cyan glanced toward Beast who was sleeping in his bed. She slowly made her way toward him and got a closer look at his face. He looked peaceful in his slumber; his mouth was slightly opened as he took a deep breath of air and his chest rised then fell down when he exhaled. _'He looks...almost cute when he's asleep.'_ Cyan thought to herself and leaned to get a better look. However, Beast's eyes opened up quickly when he heard the floor creak a bit and saw the redhead standing by him.

"AAHH!"

"AAAHHH! WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING?!" Cyan shouted.

"Why does everyone insist on watching me sleep!? There will be no more watching me sleep!" Beast scolded loudly. He was clenching his chest in fright.

"But I wasn't-"

"NYUT," He grabbed her face with his right hand.

 _'When was the last time he washed his paws?!'_ Cyan froze when he grabbed her face. His paw was bigger than her head and he could probably squeeze her head like a grape. Now she was silently praying to God that Beast doesn't do that just for waking him up. There had to be a sliver of humanity in him since he did save her from wolves. Beast let go of her when she huffed under his paw like she had trouble breathing. She coughed a few times before she took deep breaths.

"What do you want? Don't you know what time it is?!"

"Yes, I am aware it's late. But we come to ask you something."

"'We'?"

"Yes, my peacock and I." Cyan held up the chick to him.

"...Birds cannot talk."

"Don't underestimate the importance of body language."

"Go back to the east wing and leave me alone." Beast ordered in a huff.

"But we are cold! Can't we stay in here with you?"

At this point, Cyan was slowly regretting even asking him this. But this was better than hypothermia from trying to get firewood. The bed shifted when Beast sat up to make himself look taller and bigger than her. He was already taller than her so this was unncessary. Cyan did notice he was uncomfortable from his left side. She didn't have any pity for him; she slept on the east wing's floor with a hurt arm and it wasn't fun. He, on the other hand, laid in a soft bed so his hurt arm was propped against soft materials!

"Are you insane?! Why would I let you in my bed?!''

"From the goodness of your heart and pity for a poor sweet girl like me?" Cyan said in a fake sweet tone.

"You are not sweet! And there is no goodness left in me at this time of night!"

"When has there ever been any goodness in your heart."

"Why can't you just make a fire in your room?!"

"Well, why didn't I think that? Oh wait, I did! I don't have a fireplace in my room and I don't know where you keep the firewood around here!"

"Can't you just go to bed and stay there?!"

"Madame snores too loud! If we managed to stay warm, we won't sleep with her obnoxious noise that comes from her slumber."

"Just go back to your room and stay there!"

With that, Beast turned his back to Cyan and the chick. Both of them stood there by the bed in irritation and in the bitter cold of his room. Neither of them wanted to go back to the east wing. It was too cold to walk back and it was not worth crawling back into the thin blankets and try to endure the massive wardrobe's snoring. They were never going to sleep the rest of the night if they manage to get back. They didn't want to go outside and freeze to death while looking for firewood. Luckily, Cyan wasn't one to give up easily. She made her way toward the doors, slowly closed the doors so they made a squeaking sound, and then spun around to watch the Beast react. His shoulders flinched when he heard the squeaking of his door like he wasn't expecting it to be this loud. He began to relax from the looks of how his breathing began to slow and his chest rose and fell in rhyme. Cyan slowly tiptoed back to his bed, careful not to make the floor creak this time, then placed chick on the nightstand by his bed. She backed up a good ten spaces away from her target before she quickly leapt into the air.

"MOOOOOOVE OOOVER!" Cyan shouted as she landed on his injured left shoulder and arm.

"THAT HURTS!" Beast shouted in pain and turned his head toward her.

"Let us sleep here tonight!" Cyan huffed. She was determined to stay here and it didn't look like Beast was going to win this time.

"Fine..! Just stay on your side of the bed!"

"Thank you kindly."

Cyan picked the chick off from the nightstand and pulled the covers over them. They were plush just like the ones the servants took out to clean and they were just as warm as them. However, she was still cold in the face. It was like ice when she felt it with her newly warm hands. She didn't like it and neither did the chick when it tried to cuddle up to her face. Cyan glanced over to Beast and saw he was on his back. There was a good space between him and her so they weren't touching. That was soon changed when Cyan began to inch toward him and buried her face into his upper arm. That part wasn't covered in bandages and sleeves so it was easy for her to dig her face into the warm fur. The chick quickly joined with cuddling into Beast's hair around his left horn and rested its head on the horn itself. Beast flinched from how cold the two were against him and was surprised they were on his side.

"You are cold..!" Beast muttered under his breathe.

"I told you we were cold..."

"...what happened to that princess?"

"what...princess..." Cyan asked sleepily.

"The yellow princess...what happened to her..."

"From my story..?"

"Yes...tell me what happened.." Beast rubbed his right eye tired.

"She didn't know what happened to her brother...All she was told was he ran away from her. The princess didn't have time to wonder why her own brother would run away because her parents soon died. They were told by the consuelmen their son was gone and that was the final nail on their coffin."

"That was terrible of them..."

"Yes, yes it was..." Cyan yawned. "The councilmen took over the kingdom for a short time until the princess was ready to become queen. The prince learned how to be a servant and lived with a general and his daughter who saw him as their own. Meanwhile, the princess didn't really receive the education a royal member should have gotten. She was given everything she asked: clothes, desserts, toys, anything she could think of it was hers. Every order she gave was granted and every object she wanted was given. Her pride only grew with every little task she gave to her servants until she turned the tender age of fourteen and was crowned as the queen. After her coronation, her brother returned to the castle as a new servant. Their eyes locked on each others gaze and the young queen dropped her fan, leaping onto her twin with a hug."

Beast looked over barely. Cyan had her eyes closed and her breathing was slowing as she slipped into slumber. Although she looked peaceful like this, he wanted to hear the rest of the story. It was starting to get interesting and he felt angered at the fact the princess didn't get an education like he did himself. Beast had a very expensive education when he was a human child and to hear a person of royal blood never did and still became queen made him upset. The next heir to the throne had to have a good education to understand what would happen and what they have to do when they take the throne. Not that he did a good job as a prince himself. Beast grabbed Cyan by her shoulder and shook her back and forth to wake her up.

"Wake up! Finish the story!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh! I thought you were tired."

"I was..now I want to hear the rest of the story."

"Fine. But don't you shake me anymore like that." Cyan huffed. "Although she was happy seeing her lost brother again, her anger flared when she realized the councilmen separated them from each other. She found them guilty and sent to the guillotine as that was the only rule they ever taught her when she had to deal with her enemies. The last of them gave a small smirk as his work was done before the blade swung down on his neck and ended his life. This was only the beginning of her prideful reign as she didn't care about what happened to her people when they began to run out of food or money. She taxed them heavily and filled her castle with things she wanted. Over time, she saw the only fitting way to get rid of her problems was sending them to the guillotine or have someone else get rid of them. That was the fate of the former general that took care of her brother. His daughter lost her father and then her lover when he tried to tell the queen she was only starving her people."

Beast tried to imagine everything Cyan was telling in her story. Of course, the way this character got rid of her enemies made his spine shiver because no one deserved that kind of fate. Then again, the councilmen deserved punishment for lying to her. Something didn't seem right when Cyan said the last of them smirked before he was killed. It was like this was what they wanted to happen so something would happen in the future. A foreshadow of something bad perhaps? Whatever the case, it was interesting and he wanted to hear more.

"Then one day, her brother went to do some errands in the country nearby and the wind caught his hat. A young lady with fair hair caught his hat and gave him a warm smile while she gave it back to him. He fell in love with her and she became his first love. However, a prince of another kingdom was also in love with this maiden. He was so enamored by her charm and kindness that he broke off an engagement with the queen so he could court this maiden. The maiden was everything the queen wasn't: kind and humble. The queen was heartbroken from this and in her sorrow, she ordered the country to die along with the maiden in retaliation for her broken heart. Her brother was sent to kill the maiden himself while their army laid waste to the poor land. However, he tried to protect her by hiding her in a well until the army was gone."

"Blech. Is this a romance because you can stop if it is." Beast gagged in disgust.

"It is not. This plan did not last."

"What?" Beast turned his attention back at her.

"The queen did not hear any word of the maiden being found among the deceased. She turned to her brother and told him to look for her and kill her. She would be happy if she was gone so the prince could return to her. The brother could only see the tears his sister poured from her eyes and saw what others couldn't see: his precious sister was truly sad. He couldn't defy his sister's orders for his own happiness and so he returned to the well and brought the maiden out. He apologized for what he was about to do, but she knew it was something he had to do without question. The maiden was killed by his blade to the heart and moments before she drew her last breathe, she embraced him before succumbing to her wounds."

"So she wasn't upset with him..?"

"No. The prince came back and saw what was left of the poor country before he looked for his love. He found her by the well with a smile on her face. Meanwhile, the queen was quite happy with knowing her rival was dead until she overheard her brother cry in the servant quarters. Her heart wrenched when she heard his sobs. Their people couldn't hold back their anger any longer when they heard of the carnage their neighboring country endured. The general's daughter lead the rebellion with the help of the prince and planned to overthrow the queen. No one stopped the people from storming into the castle because they too were tired of how they were being treated and the orders they were given. But before they reached her room, the prince told her 'Take my clothes and run away. Do not look back. We are twins and they won't know the difference.'"

Beast's breath hitched. This wasn't a romance, but it was a sad story. He felt himself hoping the queen didn't do what he said and face what she started. She started this whole thing by overreacting to a broken proposal. This queen could have found another suitor and let this prince ruin his life for a maiden! There are plenty of princes that could agree to marriage and the country could have been spared from this massacre.

"He gave her his clothes, his locket, and a message in a bottle. Without question, she changed into his servant attire and ran out of the room, leaving him in the hands of the rebellious." Cyan continued. This made the Beast gasp silently. "When the prince and the leader burst into the room and told the 'queen' she was no longer the ruler of this kingdom, the leader realized it wasn't the queen, but her own adopted brother. The prince, however, did not care for he knew the brother had a hand in his deceased love's death and would bring the queen great sorrow with his demise. The brother copied his sister's personality and called them distasteful before he was lead to jail."

"Why did he do that?!"

"He wanted to protect his sister, no matter the cost. He pondered in his jail cell on his actions that led to this and he wondered what would life had been if the councilmen never interfered with their lives. But in the end, he knew his sister was innocent in this act: she was his lovely little sister dancing on history's stage with a sinister act played on her. She was there when he was led toward the guillotine. The prince said nothing to keep him away from the blade nor did the leader stop him. Now, she wanted to stop this because this was her adopted brother, but the prince told her to let this happen. The brother looked up at his sister who was in front and she gave him one last sweet smile before the blade whistled down as he said her favorite line "it's tea time." No one cared for the 'queen' and cheered when the execution was done. However, the former queen stood there weeping for her brother and clenched the message in the bottle in her hands. Her pride took the only family she had left and the only thing she treasured more than gold and brioche."

"That was sad..."

"You wanted to hear the rest of the story..." Cyan yawned.

"What was the message in the bottle."

"There was a legend if you write a wish in the bottle and throw it into the sea, it will come true later on. She wished for God to allow her and her brother to see each other again."

"Hmm..."

"Good night Beast...Pleasant dreams..." Cyan muttered as she dozed off to sleep.

"Good night...Cyan..." Beast whispered.

He stroked the chicks head carefully then gently pulled Cyan into his arm so she wouldn't get cold before he slowly fell asleep. If Cyan could see in the dark, she would have saw faint tears rolling down from his eyes after she told her the end of the story.

* * *

Finally the last chapter. Can anyone believe six chapters in one update?! Think of it as a holiday present for you all!

Cyan is having a very uneventful night and it looks like she doesn't take no for an answer when she's cold.

The story is based on Servant of Evil by Mothy and it belongs to Vocaloid and Mothy.

Special thanks to my beta reader RabbitonSteroids!

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney.

I only own Cyan and the peacock chick.

No mean comments or flames please.

If you see spelling or grammar errors, please PM me and I will fix it.


	33. Sad days in Villeneuve

_Cyan was wrong to think that the circus would leave her behind. In reality, she didn't realize how much she was missed back home in Villeneuve. The members didn't know their ringleader and apple treat maker were in trouble because Cyan had left in a hurry once she saw Ludwig came back without them. The only ones who saw Cyan run out in a hurry were Cole, Rebecca, and Agathe. When everyone was coming back from practice, they thought Cyan ran off to avoid getting scolded for burning the lunch. Rebecca tried hard to fix the stew. It was all in vain due to the fact the new stew still tasted a little burnt. There must have been bits of tarnished food from Cyan's attempt that somehow cooked into the lunch. Some of the older members were waiting for her to return so they could give her a piece of their mind. One of them was Satin Sally because she fought to get the cheap pork away from the greedy and plump wives of the village. Everyone wanted to stay away from her until she can calm down so the only person who was safe to approach her was her son, Cole._

 _However, they never got the chance to scold Cyan. Valjean and Grandpa Apple both rode on Poppy upon their return to the camp and everyone was happy to see them. Phillip found it odd that they had only Poppy and not Ludwig since Grandpa Apple loved his horse and wouldn't dare ride another horse unless something had happened. Valjean didn't have his special hat and that meant trouble; he would never abandon his hat. Grandpa Apple tried to explain what happened, but all he ended up doing was breaking into sobs. So the task fell on Valjean to tell the bad news. The ringleader explained how their journey went in the forest, finding the frostbitten part of the forest, the wolves chasing him, and Ludwig kicking into one of the wolves' teeth. Many of the younger members, particularly Rebecca, cringed in pain at the thought of teeth being kicked out of one's mouth. The older members were used to hearing this since many did lose teeth in different ways: war, a terrible fall, or a simple bite of a hard apple. Teeth was a very touchy part of the body that can leave a person's spine shiver at the thought of having it ripped or torn off._

 _The story only got longer when Valjean described the castle, the harpsichord that played on its own, the food him and the old man ate, and being thrown into the dungeon for trying to pick a rose. It didn't surprise anyone that Grandpa Apple didn't share his chicken leg with Valjean. He can be greedy if it came to food sometimes. But the worst news was finding out Cyan actually ran out to look for them and gave herself up to take their prison sentence. Satin Sally fell into sobs when she realized her adopted daughter wasn't coming home. Her legs became weak so she fell on her knees as Valjean struggled to keep her from doing so. The circus fell into silence as some started to cry with Grandpa Apple and Satin Sally. Even the animals noticed something was wrong when they saw only Poppy returned and their humans' sorrow._

 _Things weren't the same since Valjean and Grandpa Apple's return. The peacocks seemed a little droopy over the course of a few months. Phillip guessed they noticed they were missing a chick and they were starting to miss the one person they hated. Many of the members tried to make the beautiful birds have a new person to hate by doing the things Cyan did to them, just existing. Jacque even pulled tail feathers off some of the peacocks, but they didn't even notice. It didn't feel the same when it was Cyan making the birds find something to hate. Poppy and the other horses missed Ludwig and they wouldn't touch his feed barrel that still had lemons and apples in it. Grandpa Apple made sure the barrel was dumped out and put fresh food in it so that way if he ever saw his beloved horse, his rider can feed him again._

 _The circus didn't want to tell any of the villagers because they saw they didn't have a place in this. LeFou didn't know, Jean didn't know, and they defiantly made sure Gaston didn't know. The hunter would come by and ask if Cyan was around and someone would tell him she's not here. He would ask if she was busy or if she had other plans. The members didn't like him at all so they just said Cyan doesn't want anything to do with him. Rebecca personally told him Cyan would never marry him. No one had the heart to tell Valjean what Cyan went through from Gaston's last visit. The man was already in grief trying to find his beloved little girl and he didn't need to know this right now. Valjean spent many days searching for the icy woods with a few of the members to help out. It seemed like the more they tried, the harder it was to look for that small section of woods. He was gonna try and keep his promise he made to her before he was dragged out by the Beast. Valjean wasn't going to abandon her. No one wanted to leave Villeneuve until they brought Cyan home._

 _Cole took it hard because he didn't know when he was gonna see his adopted older sister again. He kept her toys and made sure he was careful with them so he can give them back. Cole missed her stories and her hugs and Rebecca missed her best friend. The tiger tamer even named a tiger cub after Cyan when their pregnant tiger Shiva gave birth to four cubs. Little cub Cyan was the only female of the litter, and she was just like the person she was named after: feisty, smart, and was hard to get off the teat if her brothers tried to paw her off. Things were grim without their storyteller and yet they tried not to give up hope. They prayed they would find her and bring her home._

 _As for Cyan, her "stay" in the castle lightened up just a little bit. Beast became a little nicer to her after that night. His demeanor changed slightly even though they still argued. It seemed like every day they had something to argue about while they were still injured. The worst argument was when Cyan scared Beast when she used tomato juice as fake blood and drenched her outfit to look like she was dying. Chip pretended to have shattered to scare Mrs. Potts so he was in on the prank as well. It wasn't funny when Cyan blew her performance and both of them got a harsh scolding from Beast and Chip. The servants noticed Beast started to be concerned when Cyan's left arm would start to throb. If she asked why was he like this, he would respond "You are my prisoner. I rather not have you complain while you're here." This would start another argument with Cyan saying she could take care of herself, and Beast would respond with she would have been dinner to wolves if he didn't step in. Neither of them thanked another for that night since they both saved each others lives. Both of them were stubborn as they come. Cyan's arm healed around the middle of November, but she had scars from the wolf attack. The bite left a story for Cyan to tell, but for Beast it would remind him of how late he was to prevent this._

 _As November faded into December, the castle was slowly getting ready for Christmas. This year was going to be different for everyone. It would be the first Christmas Cyan and the circus had apart._

* * *

This is to remind my readers that I haven't forgotten any of you nor the circus! They wouldn't leave Cyan behind, but it looks like they're having a tough time in that judgmental town. For those who want to know when I am going to put the song Gaston in the story, please be patient. I haven't forgotten that song and scene. It'll come soon ;3

Special thanks to my beta reader! My friend Seth Gardner from East Georgia State College looked over my two chapters while my usual RabbitonSteroids takes a break! If any readers is a student there, better go say thanks to him!

I only own Cyan and the Circus.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney!

No mean comments or flames please!

If you see spelling or grammar errors, please PM me and I will fix it!


	34. Lunch with Beast and Cyan

It was two days before Christmas and everyone in the castle was getting everything ready for the big day. There was magic in the air as the cook prepared lunch for the afternoon, and the servants were getting the castle decorated. However, they could only do so much considering they were all household objects. Cyan was kind enough to lend a helping hand if they needed help. She grew bored just sitting in her room, playing with the peacock chick, and coming up with arguments with the Beast. They were at least nice enough to each other to sit at the same table as long as they were far away from each other. Cyan would bring a book with her to the table so she could read while Beast would promptly ignore her presence.

Things may have been a little nicer for the two since that night, two months ago, when they shared a bed. Beast was a little nicer toward her since he did start to pity her when she was without warm blankets that night. He made sure if her blankets were being washed and dried over night, she would get the spare ones in the closet. This didn't stop either one's short temper if something sets them off. The last argument they had was over what the cook should serve for lunch. Beast wanted something rich like a nice, juicy meat dish and Cyan wanted something simple like tomato soup with fresh basil in the middle. It was December and Cyan was still used to life in a circus. Around this time of year, she wouldn't see a juicy slab of meat unless it was cheap. Winter was a time for soup and bread for the circus and everyone would try and get odd jobs to help pay for the big Christmas feast they would have on Christmas Day. To have something that was expensive to eat was like mocking the hard working members of her circus family, something that Beast didn't understand because Cyan never bothered to tell him about what her family did for a living. He still assumed they were thieves and that would set Cyan's temper high when he called them that. So to compromise the situation: Cogsworth had the chief cook a rack of meat for the master and soup for their guest.

This time lunch took a while to make due to how large the meat for Beast was. So there was him and Cyan waiting in the dining room for the meal. Cyan already had her meal set in front of her. The soup was quick to make and Cyan was lucky to have gotten fresh basil in her meal. She did offer some portion to her captor, but he said "I will not eat a peasant's dish." so that was the end of the conversation. Cyan slurped her meal loudly just to make Beast twitch his left eye. His patience was wearing thin in waiting for his food. The soup reminded Cyan of Satin Sally's cooking because she was better at making soup than Grandpa Apple. It didn't mean Grandpa Apple was left out in the winter cooking. He made delicious Christmas pudding with special wine he saved all year to use in the dessert and would make sugar plums to sell and eat. Cyan wanted to make some for herself and everyone else in the castle even though she knew they would not be able to taste the mouth watering treat. Instead, it would befall on her, Beast, the peacock chick, and Ludwig the horse. She couldn't remember if horses could eat plums so she was going to make Ludwig sugar coated lemons instead.

Right now, Cyan had a empty book, a pen, and some ink by her right arm. Her right hand moved the pen across the empty canvas of the page while her left hand lifted spoonfuls of soup to her mouth. She didn't bother to look up at her company because she didn't want to. She figured Beast was glaring down at his empty plate. She was correct, but Beast was starting to wonder curiously about what she was writing. Cyan had started to write three days ago and whenever he saw her, that was all she would work on. Beast would check on Cyan in her room and see her still writing in her bed while the peacock chick slept on her pillow. Now it seemed like more pages were written since he saw her last night at dinner. Beast thought it was really rude of her to ignore and formalities were in order if they should start a decent conversation. If they would actually hold one without starting an argument again.

"What are you doing?" Beast finally spoke up.

"So you do know how to talk. Praise the Good Lord." Cyan didn't look up from her work.

"I did not come down to hear your sarcasm. You will ruin my lunch."

"There is such a thing as ignoring. Your lunch is taking a while to get ready."

"I know that!" Beast shouted.

"You should have ordered the soup. The chief made a very delicious one."

"I will not eat that. How can you eat something like just soup?! You didn't want anything else!"

"This is the first Christmas I'll spend without my family. I'd like to show respect for the meals we manage to make." Cyan explained.

"So what."

"Excuse me." Cyan finally looked up from her book.

"So what? You don't have to eat this...this slop. You're in a castle with decent food in store."

"There is such a thing as modesty and respect. I do know your home has fancy eatery to tickle my mouth, but I will not ask for such things until Christmas day. That is when my family had plenty things to eat."

"You mean what they manage to steal and hide from everyone."

"We were not thieves! We paid with the money we earned through sweat and blood!" Cyan shouted.

"Oh, now they pickpocket too!?" Beast stood up from his chair quickly. His chair fell back from the force.

"We do NOT pickpocket! We work hard for what we can afford!"

Cyan was quick to stand up, but she didn't make her chair fall down like Beast did. This was common for the two to argue over something insensitive Beast would say about her family. Everyone did not know much about her family due to the fact she didn't want to talk about it a whole lot. It made her sad to think about where they were and if they did leave her behind. This didn't sound true and Cyan knew it because they wouldn't do that to her or anyone else in the circus. She hated it when Beast continued to call her family thieves and miscreants. The two were struggling in not trying to get into each others throats, but only Cyan can remember how coarse he was when he was human. So her memory clouded her better judgment as well as Beast's resolve.

"If you worked hard to afford anything, your fool of a father and hermit grandfather shouldn't have tried to steal one of my roses or eaten my food!" Beast scolded.

"Do you think they weren't starving?!"

"If they're thieves, it should not have been a problem!"

"They had food on them, but they dropped their rations when they were chased by wolves!" Cyan screeched.

"How do you know this?!"

"I found their bags in the woods before I came here!"

The kitchen staff was watching this behind the safety of the kitchen door. The cook was used to hearing them bicker at almost every meal. Beast always had a temper, but Cyan seemed to match his in retaliation. It was like listening to an old married couple complain about what was wrong with one another. Although the staff were hoping Cyan would be the one to break the spell, some of the servants were wondering how long it would take for her to fall in love with their master and vice versa for him. Lumiere once said they probably liked to hear each other bicker as a way to mask their feelings. Cogsworth said if that were true, why would Cyan throw things at the master. Unfortunately, Cyan would throw whatever she had on hand at Beast sometimes. They were hoping she won't throw her bowl of soup at Beast. There wasn't a chance it would even hit him considering how long the dining table was. It would still be a mess if she attempted it.

"If you don't like it, then why don't you just leave?!"

"I think I will! I rather be myself this holiday!" Cyan yelled as she grabbed her book, pen, and a bread roll from the basket on the able.

"You would've ruined my Christmas!"

"Then have yourself a Merry Christmas! EBENEEZER BEAST!" Cyan slammed the door behind her.

"AND A BAH HUMBUG TO YOU TOO!"

Beast attempted to sit down and completely forgot his chair wasn't there so he fell on the floor. He let out a small shout as his tail hit the hard floor. If Cyan were there, she would have laughed in her seat at his expense. It would have probably made him even more irritated since he was hard to simmer down.

"Ugh, why do I put up with her anyway?!"

"She is just defending her family, sire." Chapeau explained as he took Cyan's bowl and silverware.

"They are common thieves and street rats. What is there to defend?"

"Family is different for everyone and you should know better than anyone." Mrs. Potts chided as she came in from the kitchen to pour him another cup of tea. "If you listen to her about her family, you may see they aren't so bad."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"To be a nice gentleman, of course. It is almost Christmas and this is the first time she will spend that wonderful day without her family."

Beast muttered under his breath before he sipped his tea. The warm liquid felt good on his throat and he sighed in relief. Although he considered his lunch ruined by Cyan, at least he could enjoy his meal in peace. Beast wasn't one for family since his mother died from sickness and his father was no better after the death of his beloved wife. He assumed Cyan was suffering what he once went through with her own. After all, her adopted father and grandfather abandoned her when she took their place as his prisoner and it has been months since either of them have seen the men. Cyan would say that it did take a long time for them to find the castle considering how many twists and turns there were in the forest.

Traveling in the winter was ghastly if one isn't fully prepared, but Beast highly doubted they wanted to see him again after their treatment in the castle. Chapeau brought the master's dinner when Beast was pondering about why Cyan was so quick to defend her family's actions. He glanced down at his food to see his juicy rack of meat on his plate. The meat was cooked until it was tender enough to be cut with a fork. It was truly a masterpiece on his palate when he took the first bite. The juices were still hot on the tongue so he had to hurry up and swallow or risk burning his tongue. Nevertheless it was a grand lunch to eat. He was about to get another piece with his fork when he saw on his right was a small bowl of tomato soup with fresh basil. This was what Cyan ordered.

"I did not ask for this."

"We made too much." Chapeau stated. "You may like it."

"I won't eat a peasant's dish!" Beast shouted.

"How would you know if you don't try it. Not everything is what they seem. Good things can come in small portions." Mrs. Potts told him.

There has to be a limit on that. He was used to getting extravagant things that were the envy of his guests. Jewelry, expensive wines, the best cuts of meat, it was anything that would provoke anyone's jealousy. All except for the gypsy girl. She didn't seem surprised over anything. Cyan was the same way; she could have ordered what Beast had for lunch instead of this measly soup. He picked up the bowl and slurped the soup just a little. The soup was rustic from the tomatoes used in the dish, but it gave his throat a much warmer feeling than the rack of meat. The basil gave the soup a fresh competent and cut the rich flavor. It was truly a simple dish. It was much more delicious. Beast stripped small portions of the meat off and dipped it into the soup before letting out a sigh of bliss at the delicious meal. Perhaps Mrs. Potts had a point: sometimes small things can leave a big impact on someone.

"Ah ha! I knew you'd like it!" Cyan squealed from the door. She had her head poked from behind the open door.

"WILL YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!?"

* * *

Is Beast and Cyan getting along? It looks like a friendly banter until someone wins. It was fun writing this chapter because it made me laugh more than enough.

If anyone can guess some of the references I have used for this chapter, I thank you!

Once again, special thanks to my beta reader Seth Gardner from East Georgia State College!

I only own Cyan and the Circus.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney!

Please no mean comments or flames!

If you see a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it!

Special thanks


	35. Cyan meets Nicholas

That afternoon was a chilly one. Once her food digested, Cyan realized how cold the castle was starting to get as she looked up from her book. Three of the servants were bringing in firewood for the foyer's fireplace with Cogsworth supervising the ordeal. It seemed to be all he did during her stay here. The clock wouldn't do anything else except tell the staff what to do if the Beast wasn't in the room. It was starting to bore her and she wanted to go outside and avoid the constant chatter. Cyan set her book under the couch cushion before grabbing her cape and coat. She made her way over toward the doors then opened the front doors, letting the wind blew the snow and ice into the castle. Cogsworth protested in her action when the snow hit his glass face. It made the young lady laugh at his misfortune before she wiped the precipitation off him.

"Hold still. It's just frozen water."

"You should know better than to open the door without warning someone!" The old clock huffed.

"Do I need to announce to the whole castle I'm opening every door? What about the bathroom door? Or my room door. I am opening the bathroom door! I am closing the bathroom door!" Cyan shouted to no one in particular.

"N-Not every door! Show some decency!" If Cogsworth could blush, his face would be a dark red color at her comment. Cyan couldn't hold back a laugh at his sputtering.

"You have to be specific in your demands. I'm going outside for a break. Let me know if it's time for supper, please!"

With that, Cyan grabbed a small, coin bag by Chapeau and ran out of the castle. She had forgotten the surface was going to be slippery because she almost fell back if she hadn't grabbed a nearby column. Her legs were crossed awkwardly as she tried to steady herself while hanging on for dear life. 'Thank the Lord, Beast isn't seeing this. This is embarrassing.' Cyan thought to herself. It was absurd for her to worry about what he thinks if he did. She still saw him as unrefined for his personality. This did not stop her from feeling sorry for him. His existence was a lonely one if his own father was cold to him after his mother's death. In a way, they both shared a hurtful past; Cyan lost her father and her mother was always cruel to her. However, Beast had his servants with him even if they did nothing to stop the king from what he did. Of course, it would be high treason if a servant went against their ruler's demands. Whereas Cyan was once part of an aristocratic family where the only thing that a servant suffered the most was the loss of their job. If a servant went against the wishes of a ruler, there would be harsher punishments such as whipping or beheading. The latter being if the king or queen were that cold-blooded of a person or if the traitor really deserved that on them.

Cyan slowly made her way down the giant steps before she turned to the right toward the stables. Ludwig was bundled up in warm straw and fluffy dark yellow blankets. He was living in comfort compared to when they were back at the circus. The servants were a pitchfork named Sergi and a horse brush named Jonathan, and they were in charge of taking care of the horses. They were happy to be able to take care of one after so long. They made sure Ludwig was comfortable and eating well. Cyan smiled at the sight of Grandpa Apple's beloved horse getting his mane brushed before she opened the bag by his hooves. Inside was sugar covered lemons she made with the cook. Lemons were one of Lugwig's favorite foods.

"Ow! Darn it! Not again!" A voice called from far away.

"What was that?" Cyan looked behind.

"Oh, that's just Nicholas." Sergi explained.

"He's been working on a project for months. He might be stuck in the ground by the pond." Jonathan added.

 _'Might be stuck?'_ Cyan thought to herself. She thought she knew almost every servant in the castle. No one mentioned a Nicholas during her stay here, or at least she didn't hear anyone talk about him? Chances are she wasn't paying much attention. This Nicholas fellow must have been a very busy fellow if she hadn't seen him around the castle. Her curiosity was starting to get the best of her again. Cyan marched out of the stable and made her way toward the sounds. Of course, she had to find her way around the garden first. It was starting to get a little easier once she got the hang of this. Plumette taught her a little trick to help find her way around this maze of a garden. There was different patches of roses across the yard and the bushes with the least amount of flowers meant she was close to the gates. The gardener didn't see the point in making his way toward the gate just to water the roses and then make the journey back to the castle so he would water them maybe once or twice a week. There was a patch of roses that were red and that would mean she was close to the pond. The gardener planted the wrong ones and luckily, Beast had not noticed the mistake until a few weeks later. He seemed to be okay with the mistake since it made the pond look more 'intricate'. So Cyan was now looking for the only patch of red roses.

It was easier said than done because it seemed like every rose was covered in snow. Cyan changed tactics and started to follow the distress sounds. This didn't take very long since she saw something wiggling on the bridge that went over the pond. It looked like a stone chisel stuck in the bridge floor and it was struggling to get out. Of course, this was probably an enchanted servant. There was no way a chisel can walk or yell. Cyan quickly walks toward the poor thing and stopped a few inches away from it. She wasn't so sure if this was Nicholas or a different servant. There was no harm in asking.

"Am I interrupting something?" Cyan asked.

"No, no. Th-this happens. A l-l-lot." The chisel shivered.

"Oh, does it? Do you need help?"

"P-Please. I think I'm losing feeling in my metal...!"

Cyan grabbed the handle and tried to tug him out. She wasn't that strong since she had trouble trying to pull him out. The bridge must have been ice cold because it was hard trying to pry the poor chisel out of his prison. She didn't want to give up just yet; she leaned her weight back in an effort to let gravity take a hold and help her pull him out without using much of her strength. However, her plan was also a bad idea. When she finally got the chisel servant out finally, she wasn't study enough to stop herself from falling on the icy cold floor and slid down into the snow. The snow was getting into her dress and it made her sit up fast shrieking.

"COLD! COLD! THAT IS COLD!"

"Thanks for freeing me, mademoiselle."

"N-No problem. I don't think we met before. I am Cyan."

"So you're the famous Cyan. I heard about you from Sierra when she came out to hang your clothes to dry." The chisel stated.

"I hope it was good things."

"She mentioned you start some of arguments with the master."

"Why does everyone assume I start it?!"

"I am Nicholas, by the way."

"Sergi and Jonathan mentioned that you yelling." Cyan nodded.

Nicholas groaned in embarrassment. This must not have been the first time the servant had been in this situation, or was he ashamed for his peers telling the guest it was him? Humiliation can make or break a person's spirit. Everyone can have an embarrassing moment; royalty was no better because if they made such things, theirs would be recorded into history books. Sergi and Jonathan didn't sound like they meant any harm in knowing it was Nicholas' voice. Jonathan did sound a little worried when he mentioned Nicholas would be stuck. Cyan could see that; being a horse brush and a pitchfork makes it hard to rescue a friend, neither of which has hands. They would have to struggle in order to get someone's attention inside. Beast could have helped, but the two servants said Nicholas was working on a project. They didn't say who it was for though. Cyan doubted Beast would have cared or if he would pop a vein from this. Lumiere and Cogsworth would have been able to help since they have hands along with Chapeau. But it's not a good idea to have a clock and a coat rack outside in snow or else the gears can freeze and the wood would be ruined.

"I don't think they mean it to mock you."

"You don't...?"

"They sounded worried. Mentioned something about you working on a project. It has to be hard to free someone without hands." Cyan patted Nicholas' 'head'.

"Yes...you are right. I hate being cursed, but what can I do about it?"

"Well, you could try and break the curse. But it's hard to make your master fall in love when anyone who sees him wants to scream and run away."

"If his appearance doesn't scare him, his manners will frighten them." Nicholas added.

Cyan couldn't stop the laughter from coming out. Finally, she had someone else to agree with her. The other servants didn't want to talk bad about their master. There was nothing wrong with that, but Cyan was getting tired of them trying to tell her what his good qualities were. Every now and then, she would like to have a laugh at the silly things Beast would bark over or how he acted. Nicholas and Cyan stayed on the bridge and chatted for what seemed like hours. Cyan had lost track of time as they talked about life in the castle and more importantly, food. The young lady quickly learned the chisel servant was a big food lover when he was a human. He could eat more than he should have, but he never gained the weight after eating so much. It would make the female servants mad because ladies are supposed to eat delicately and watch their weight. They want to look pleasing to the men folk. Cyan, on the other hand, would eat just because she was hungry. Which is why she didn't hold back when Lumiere and the other staff members gave her a dinner and a show. She didn't want to wait while food danced away from her!

"They expected you to wait until the song was over to eat?! The nerve of them!" Nicholas gasped.

"I know! The only thing they were mad about was I didn't use a fork or spoon when I ate!" Cyan explained.

"They had them dancing, didn't they."

"Yes! So I had a good reason to use my hands."

"What kind of foods did they have?" Nicholas looked up.

"Soups, hors d'oeuvres, cheese souffle, and some gray stuff. That's just to name a few." Cyan counted on her fingers. She knew there was a lot more food than that, but she only had five fingers on each hand to count with.

"What was the gray stuff?"

"Pate de fois gras."

"Oooh, that is a very exquisite dish! I have not tried it yet. Was it delicious? Did it melt in your mouth?"

"It was horrid. I didn't like it."

"You didn't give it a chance then."

"I gave it a chance, but it is made out of captive bird's liver. I had a peacock chick nearby and I do think that it would count as a form of cannibalism if I allowed him to eat that."

Nicholas laughed hard at her response. Although he was a tiny tool, he had a loud laugh. Cyan jumped a little from the sheer volume of that outburst. If she was walking on the rails of the bridge, she would lose her balance and fall into the pond. Luckily, she wasn't and she didn't want to find out if the pond was frozen over or not.

"I would give almost anything to be human again. Just to try that pate."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up trying that stuff. What are you working on anyway?" Cyan tried to turn the conversation away from her now least favorite dish.

"Well...it is a surprise present for the master. As you can see, I cannot do anything else except help break stone."

"So you're making him something out of stone?"

"Marble, to be exact. He had this gypsy girl's dress and her mask in his room. That's all he has to remember her. A dummy isn't a good substitute to remember her by so I am making a marble statue of her."

"What?!", Cyan felt the hair on the back of her head stand up. This surprised her because Beast could figure out who the gypsy girl really was. Would he be happy to know who his beloved gypsy was or would he be mad? Or would he even figure it out? Many questions went through her mind as she tried to figure out what the outcome could be if anyone found out she was the gypsy girl. The servants were afraid when she humiliated Prince Adam and the guests were jealous on how much attention Adam gave her. Maybe the servants would have more faith because their master was sad after what the Enchantress did to her or what they thought happened to her. The curse could be lifted soon if that was the case, but would that even happen if any one realizes the truth? She thought Beast didn't like her; he was just tolerating her because she was his prisoner. He has to tolerate a girl who lost her family twice in her lifetime. It would be a mixed emotion if Beast found out.

"I don't remember much about her face because of that infernal mask. So I'll try and figure it out from what I can remember or leave it headless."

"Why would you leave it headless?! It would be a marble dummy at that point!" Cyan jumped at the thought of a headless statue of her. She shivered as well, but it was probably from staying outside for a long time.

"Good point. I guess I can try and remember what I could see besides the mask and bring out emotion into this present. Eyes are the windows to the soul, you know."

"Then my windows are always closed." Cyan remarked and both of them giggled.

"Can you keep this a secret from the master? Lord knows I need a lot of time with this."

"I can keep your secret. If!"

"There's always something...what is it?"

"I'll keep it if you let me see it someday." Cyan crossed her arms.

"Deal!"

The two new friends gave each other a smile. However, their peace was short-lived when they heard the front doors hit the walls hard. It scared them both enough to for them to slid down the bridge and hide behind some bushes on the other side of the bridge. They didn't know what was happening, but they didn't want to risk anything. Nicholas was shaken from the loud noise and stuttered trying to ask Cyan what was that. There wasn't a lot of servants in the castle with enough strength to make the giant door open wide. It would probably take everyone including Garderobe to get the door open, but that had its own set of problems. Garderobe can barely stay awake so she couldn't help much if she got tired after six minutes. The harpsichord was too big to move through a small doorway so he would have to maneuver his way around just to get through. There was one person in the castle that was very strong.

"CYAN! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Beast roared.

 _'Why am I not surprised.'_ Cyan thought to herself when they heard him roar. She looked around and watched as Nicholas hopped away quickly. He must be going toward where his present was hidden and was hoping to get away before his master spotted him, or perhaps he was just scared to stay and face Beast's wrath. Cyan didn't have much to ponder because she saw that around her was growing dark. It felt like a large shadow had trapped her from the sunset's light.

"Good gravy, something's blocked the sun!" Cyan looked behind to find Beast was behind her. "Oh. It's just you."

"Why aren't you in the dining room?! Cogsworth called you in for dinner and you didn't show up!"

"Did he call? I didn't hear him."

"He called you fifteen times! What were you even doing out here?!"

"I was...enjoying the scenery until you blocked the sun."

"It is sunset. How long have you been out here?"

"What time is it?"

"It is twenty past six."

"I was out here for a while then."

Cyan let a small sneeze and Beast noticed it. She wasn't exactly wearing the right attire for eternal winter. She wore a favorite outfit for hers: a white ruffled dress with blue sides, a gray collar, brown ribbon under the chest, and a red thread zig zagging on the blue sides of the dress. Her light blue dress was being washed so she had to wear this outfit. Her black stockings were also being washed so she couldn't wear those, but she wore black winter boots. Her cape and coat weren't exactly made out of decent material. It barely kept her warm. The coat was a faded blue and it was once owned by the groundskeeper who was now garden shears. He gave it to Cyan when he found out she didn't have a coat. Her cloak was a greenish-blue and it had to be patched up multiple times because she was too stubborn to throw it away. They weren't keeping her warm because Beast can see her shiver. He took off his own coat and draped it over her unceremoniously.

"What are you doing?!" Cyan asked startled.

"You're shivering because you don't know how to dress proper! I won't have you sick because of your stupid choices. Now join me for dinner before it gets cold. I won't wait!" Beast ordered before turning around and walk off the bridge.

This was different. He never offered his coat to her before or even worry about her. Of course he was gruff about giving her his coat. Beast had fur so he must not have trouble staying warm. Cyan found herself admitting Beast was right: she didn't dress proper for outside. His coat was very warm against her shivering form and her resolve was just melting away. Perhaps there was some good in him. She just has to chisel it little by little. Her stomach growled loudly at the thought of food waiting for them back in the dining room. She stood up and began to run ahead of Beast despite the chance of slipping and falling.

"I'm only obliging because there is food! Don't wait up!" Cyan laughed.

"THIS IS NOT A RACE! YOU HAD A HEAD START!" Beast shouted from behind before chasing after her.

* * *

It looks like we meet more of the enchanted staff! One has been mentioned many, many chapters ago. It seems like he remembers what she looks like. Even if it's vaguely. To be honest, I wouldn't want a headless marble statue of myself so I sympathize with Cyan!

Once again, special thanks to my beta reader Seth Gardner from East Georgia State College!

I only own Cyan, the circus, and some of the enchanted staff.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney!

Please no mean comments or flames!

If you see a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it!


	36. The Beast and the peacock chick

On Christmas Eve, the castle was bustling with activity. They didn't always have this kind of energy since the day the curse was cast. They would have a small celebration amongst themselves, but their master would not always join them. If he did, he would sit in silence hunched over in his chair while gazing out the window. He would be given a small Christmas feast and then he would go back to his room. Each year the servants fell into more grief, anxiety, and filled with dread. Seeing how many petals were left on the rose, they knew their days were numbered. It was a heavy burden on their hearts. Everyone wanted to be human again, bask in the sunlight, and enjoy Christmas with the burden out of mind.

This year it was different; they had Cyan. She was like a giddy child around this time of year which impacted the other servants morales; their spirits and hopes seem to go up whenever she enters a room. It almost makes them forget the burden that the curse had left on the castle. She wanted to help put the tree up a few days ago and now she wanted to help look for the decorations and ornaments. The only thing she left to the servants was the cooking. After the spicy soup incident, Beast didn't want her to cook for a good while. She can help handle the food, but she could not help prepare the food. Honestly, she didn't care since the young lady already knew she was a horrible cook. It was probably the second time she didn't argue with him. The first was yesterday when she admitted at dinner that she didn't dress properly for going outside. Cyan didn't get to see his disbelief because she went back to eating her dinner, but Beast almost choked on his food when she admitted her mistake. At first he wondered if she was sick.

Now Beast's torso and left shoulder were still sore even though the wolf attack was three months ago. Some nights he couldn't sleep on his stomach because of the pain. Last night was no exception. He didn't sleep very well so he wasn't going to help put up decorations. He spent part of the day in his room before Cyan called out for him to 'let in some light' in his routine. When he came out, he had to shield his eyes because it was brighter than his room. He always kept the curtains closed unless it was the sun room. The windows were sometimes covered with ice so he didn't have to worry about what little sunlight that came from outside. The peacock chick moved from his spot on the couch in the foyer when Beast came down and sat down on the other side of the furniture. To his surprise, the tiny bird was brave enough to nest in his lap and fall asleep.

"Aww, the little guy likes you. For whatever reason." Cyan snickered.

"I am not in the mood for your sarcastic remarks."

"When are you ever in the mood for anything?"

Beast huffed and glanced over at the very big Christmas tree on the right side of the fireplace. The staff and Cyan were able to get the tree up the stairs and into the foyer. Cogsworth wanted to put it in the dining room and then cut down another tree to put in his room and then another for the ballroom. No one wanted to do all that work. It was too cold for enchanted objects and one human to cut three big trees so they just chopped the nearest tree by the gate and struggled to drag it inside. The stairs were a killer; many of the objects are quite short and small so Chapeau and Cyan had to do all the hard work. Beast could have gotten up to help, but he was too sore to do anything and he was...stuck in his spot on the couch. He was afraid of waking the little bird in his lap if he got up. The tree was decorated with orbs of silver and gold, gingerbread men, and silver tinsel that hugged the tree. Cyan had came up with the idea of cutting paper into the shape of snowflakes so now she was on the floor cutting away paper. Chip helped by picking out what color to add to some of the finished products. So now the tree will have green, red, pink, and blue snowflakes among the white ones.

Beast glanced to his right to see a wrapped present. The present was small; it was a blue square box with gold glitter swirls. It also had a big red bow on the top, and the red ribbon wound around the box neatly. It paled in comparison to the huge presents Beast would see during his youth. As a child of royal blood, he would receive gifts from family, friends of his father, and nobles whom hoped to stay on his good side when he would become king. Many of his presents would be clothes made out of the finest and the most expensive silks, jewelry, and sometimes, the hand of noble or royal blood's daughter. He could remember his mother was quick to say he was too young to be thinking of marriage and at the time, she was right: Beast was only seven when he once was given the proposal of a English King's niece as a Christmas present. The memory clouded his judgment as he wondered if inside the box was a proposal from Cyan. No, perish the thought. She was his prisoner and nothing else above that. There was nothing she has to offer him. However, his curiosity was getting the best of him as he slowly reached for the present.

"Do not open that present!" Cyan said to him.

"I didn't even move!"

"I saw you reach for it!"

"What is this present for?" Beast huffs, ignoring her accusation.

"It's something to be opened." Cyan said sarcastically. "You can wait until tomorrow just like everyone else."

The red head only held her laugh when she saw Beast frown at her comment. Of course, he was at fault for not being specific on his question. However, it did not help how quick and sarcastic she was in her responses.

"WHO is the present for?"

"I wrote a tag on it so you should already figure out who it is for."

"I didn't think you can write considering all I see you do is doodle in that little book of yours for the past few days."

"For your information, I am among the small bit of women that was allowed to write and I bet I can write just as good as your meaty claws." Cyan retaliated without looking from her work. She was finishing cutting a paper snowflake.

Cyan made a valid point: not a lot of ladies were allowed the education or the lessons to be taught how to write. Some wealthy families would allow their daughters to learn this skill so they can look prestigious for their fiancee or help show their family have the money and the education to surpass their rivals. This wouldn't exactly stick to some of the ladies because many times, their fiancees would tell them to not bother writing when they have a servant that could do that or speak. That was also a loophole: some men prefer their wives and lovers not speak unless spoken to. Society had its rules, values, and dreaded loopholes. Such little things could set off a long-lasting argument on a person's pride. Of course, Beast can't say he preferred Cyan to stay quiet; she would never shut her mouth anyway. Cyan would talk about whatever was on her mind which was a huge contrast compared to the women Beast used to invite to his lavish dinners. His own penmanship hasn't been very good since he was cursed. He would crush a pen between his fingers if he tried to make a line or it would ooze ink when he tried to make a curve or loop in a letter. It forced him to use a quill so he could save what little pens he had left. Unfortunately, this was a lot worse than the pens because the quill tip would break every time he made contact with the paper. So now it would look like bloody ink blotches than human writing.

"Perhaps you're right."

"Of course-...I beg your pardon?" Cyan had whiplash when she quickly turned her head toward him.

"Since I was cursed, my penmanship hasn't been what it used to be." He explained before stroking a clawed finger over the tiny peacock's head when it chirped sleepily, "I probably made a large mess trying to write a single letter on the paper. I should hope you have better writing than I. There is not many women who can write, so you should consider yourself lucky."

It surprised even himself that he commented on her ability to write. He has not even seen what hers looked like, but from what he saw at the dinners and lunches he share with her, she would write like she was a lady. Her wrist would steady the pen as the tip swerved on the paper like a paintbrush on a blank canvas. Cyan herself was like an artist putting her vision on the blank book. Beast did see that sometimes she wrote feverishly and then slowly, but she never lost control of her writing utensil. She would so focused on her task that the world could go by and she may not even know it. He's never seen that amount of concentration in a woman. It was almost...admirable (or inspiring). When he finally looked up at Cyan, he blinked seeing she was stunned. Her mouth was gaping open like she wanted to say something, but the words choked in her throat. Her cheeks sported a slight tint of red; and she had a mix of fear and confusion in her eyes. He began to wonder if there was really something wrong with her if she hadn't uttered a word. Then Beast looked at Chip who had the same look on his face.

"Are you-" He began to speak.

"COGSWORTH! HE'S GONE BLOOMING MAD!" Cyan screamed.

"MAMA, THE MASTER IS SICK!" Chip shouted.

The young lady dropped the paper snowflake she had finished, the scissors, and then grabbed Chip before scurrying out of the foyer and up the stairs. It only surprised Beast that Cyan didn't trip from how hard she tried to move her legs. He looked back at the duo until they were out of his sight. Now he was left alone with the peacock chick in his lap. At least he had some company even if the little bird could not talk. Beast couldn't help but become a little attached to the little bird. When Cyan first showed up in the castle, he didn't know she was carrying a stowaway in her bag and Beast didn't know if she knew she even had it. Was she afraid he would take the chick away and eat it? Or put it in a bird cage in the cold dungeon? To be honest, he probably wouldn't even know what to do with it. He's never had an animal this close to him in a very long, long time.

"Your master is a very odd girl."

The chick nodded in acknowledgment. In return, the little bird got a stroke on the back.

"She hasn't even given you a name, has she?" Beast thought it was stupid she didn't even try and give it a name. It was traveling with her; why hasn't it gotten a name yet?

He decided it was up to him to name it. Beast didn't really have a pet peacock before believe it or not. Peacocks were sometimes kept by people of royalty, but he never received one. When he was still human, he gotten peacock feathers or peacock pattern as presents, but never the actual bird. His father had hunting dogs that Beast was never allowed to play with. They were the King's prized animals and they caught a good game when the huntsmen turned them loose on their prey. His mother had her own pet bird that would sing at her command, but it was a gilded bird. It was hardly let out of its cage after it had made droppings on his father's expensive red silk night shirt. As a child, Beast loved the dogs, but he loved the bird more because his mother would allow him to play with it. He named the bird Roo because that was what he thought the chirps sounded like. It would sit on his finger or shoulder and sing to him. However, he lost it not long after he lost his mother. He could remember his father knocked the cage out the window by accident and it fell into the dog's pen.

The poor prince rushed to rescue the bird before the dogs could maul it. He had been bitten twice and his jacket was torn during the rescue. Mrs. Potts did all she could to try and save it, but it died in the night. Before it took its last breathe, it sang him one more song. Beast lost the last remnant of his mother when the gilded bird passed. He had no ill will toward those dogs because they did what they were trained to do, but he blamed his father for that death. That name was something he has not thought of for a very long time because he tried to drown all his sorrow and anger in wine, riches, beautiful women, and shiny objects.

"I will call you Roo. This is a name that means very much to me, little bird. A name that wasn't used for a very long time. Take pride in it." Beast instructed the little peacock.

Roo looked up at the cursed man and nuzzled its head in his large hand. He saw no ill will toward him nor understood why Beast suddenly gave him a name. The little bird probably understood the name was very dear to him. In a way, it seemed like Beast regained a old friend in this little chick. It was almost enough to let a silent tear fall down his furry face. Even he didn't realize its presence or else he would have wiped it away. His attention was drawn to the newly named chick as Beast stroked its head and back with enough care that he didn't know he still possessed in his cursed body.

At the base of the stairs, there was a small audience consisted of Chip, Cogsworth, Cyan, Lumiere, and Mrs. Potts. The servants were surprised their master even remember his mother's pet or that dreadful accident. They were relieved that Beast finally found recognition in giving the peacock chick the name. Roo was the perfect name for it; it was playful with Chip and took a shine to Beast after the wolf attack and when Cyan and the little guy slept in Beasts room for a night. The servants didn't know it even happened because Beast made sure she was hidden in the covers when he heard Cogsworth making his way to his room. He didn't want them to get their hopes up and make it a frequent thing. If any of the staff found out, Lumiere would try and give 'advice' while Cogsworth would scold him for allowing a lady in his bed before marriage. All Beast did was let Cyan sleep in his bed and kept her warm so there was nothing intimate about it. However, it was wise not to mention it regardless because the old clock would take it the wrong way.

Cyan, however, wasn't so sure what to make of the scene in front of her. She didn't think Beast that the capacity to even shed tears. Or even show a tender touch for a small, defenseless animal. Perhaps...there is something there that she didn't know about him.

* * *

I have had a lot of readers ask when will the peacock chick have a name. So I think this time is as good as any to name it. It is very sweet Beast named it and after something that was once close to him as a child.

Special thanks to my beta readers RabbitonSteroids and Lucariofreak55!

I only own Cyan and Roo the peacock chick.

Beauty and the Beast belongs to Disney!

Please no mean comments or flames!

Thank you Ninja Squirrel for your review and thank you everyone for your encouragement!

If you see a spelling or grammar error, please PM me and I will fix it!


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